Blow for Myanmar’s military as rebels say hundreds have surrendered at key border town

Members of the Karen National Liberation Army and the People’s Defence Force collect weapons after they captured an army outpost in the southern part of Myawaddy township in Myanmar on 11 March. Photograph: Noomna Nakhonphnom/AP

Myanmar’s embattled military is on the brink of losing control of one of the country’s major border crossings, in another humiliating defeat to the junta.

Hundreds of soldiers have surrendered in the town of Myawaddy, near to the border with Thailand, according to opposition groups, while Myanmar junta authorities asked Thai officials for permission to land an evacuation flight across the border on Sunday. Thailand said it granted the request on humanitarian grounds, but clarified on Tuesday that it carried only cargo and no personnel, according to media reports.