BANGKOK (AP) — Guerrilla fighters from Myanmar’s Karen ethnic minority claimed Monday to be close to seizing control of a major trading town bordering Thailand, as soldiers and civil servants loyal to the military government appeared to be preparing to abandon their positions.
The occupation of Myawaddy town by the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Karen National Union, or KNU, appeared imminent as the guerrillas seized or besieged strategic army outposts on the town’s outskirts, a spokesperson and members of the KNU said Monday.
Myawaddy, in Kayin state, is Myanmar’s most active trading post with Thailand, and its fall would be the latest in a series of shock defeats suffered by the army since last October, when an alliance of three other ethnic rebel groups launched an offensive in the country’s northeast. Over the past five months, the army has been routed in northern Shan state, where it conceded control of several border crossings, in Rakhine state in the west, and is under growing attack elsewhere.
The military government under Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has acknowledged it is under pressure, and recently introduced conscription to boost its ranks.
The nationwide conflict in Myanmar began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule.
Three residents of Myawaddy town, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they fear being arrested by either warring side, told The Associated Press by phone that they had heard no sounds of the fighting outside since Sunday afternoon. They said most residents were working as usual, while others were preparing to flee to Mae Sot, just across the border in Thailand. Two of them said they had not seen any members of the government’s security forces since Sunday.
The situation was highlighted Sunday night when a Myanmar plane made an unscheduled flight to Mae Sot from Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. Thai media reported that the plane had received permission from Thai authorities to evacuate people fleeing Myawaddy. It was not clear if those fleeing, described as military and civil servants loyal to Myanmar's military government, had already crossed into Thailand over the river that marks the border.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed that approval was given for three flights on a Yangon-Mae Sot route to transport passengers and cargo, one each day on Sunday through Tuesday. Myanmar’s government later canceled its requests for the remaining two flights.
The Thai government was closely monitoring the situation along the border, and is ready to take all necessary measures to maintain peace and order, and to keep the people along the border safe, the Thai ministry said.
In times of fighting along the frontier, Thailand has generally granted temporary shelter to Myanmar villagers. There are also about 87,000 living in nine long-term refugee camps.
The KNU, which is the leading political body for the Karen minority, said in a statement posted on Facebook that its armed wing and allied pro-democracy forces on Friday had seized the army base on the road to Myawaddy at Thin Gan Nyi Naung. It had served for nearly six decades as the military’s regional headquarters.
It said that 617 members of the security forces and their family members had surrendered. The KNU posted photos of the weapons that it claimed to have seized and captured military personnel and their family members given shelter in a school.
Two Karen guerrillas involved in their group’s offensive told AP on Monday that they have surrounded an army garrison about 4 kilometers (3 miles) to the west of Myawaddy that is in charge of the town’s security, and an artillery battalion to the south. Negotiations were underway for their surrenders, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release information.
They also said the Karen have control of about 60% to 70% of Myawaddy township, and are almost certain to capture the town itself after the two bases surrender or are overrun.
The Karen, like other minority groups living in border regions, have struggled for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government.
Fighting between the army and Karen armed groups intensified after the military seized power in 2021. Several ethnic rebel groups including the Karen have loose alliances with pro-democracy militias after the military takeover, and also offer refuge to the civilian opponents of the military government.
Members of the Karen National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Force collect weapons after they captured an army outpost, in the southern part of Myawaddy township in Kayin state, Myanmar, March 11, 2024. (AP Photo/METRO)
Members of the Karen National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Force collect weapons after they captured an army outpost, in the southern part of Myawaddy township in Kayin state, Myanmar, March 11, 2024. (AP Photo/METRO)
Members of the Karen National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Force examine two arrested soldiers after they captured an army outpost, in the southern part of Myawaddy township in Kayin state, Myanmar, March 11, 2024. (AP Photo/METRO)
PARIS (AP) — France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral is reopening its doors on Saturday for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019.
The restoration, a spectacular achievement in just five years for a structure that took nearly two centuries to build, is widely seen as a moment of triumph for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline — and a welcome respite from his domestic political woes.
Under the luminous stained glass, many world leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers will gather in the evening to mark the occasion — a rare moment of unity against the backdrop of global divisions and conflicts.
America's first lady Jill Biden, Britain's Prince William and President-elect Donald Trump, along with nearly 50 heads of state and government and personalities — 1,500 guests in all — will attend the reopening celebration under Notre Dame’s soaring Gothic arches, led by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich.
Instead of starting from the cathedral's forecourt as initially planned and because of strong winds forecast for Saturday evening in Paris, the French presidential palace and the Paris diocese said Friday the entire opening ceremony will be held inside Notre Dame.
Notre Dame’s rector, Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, says the cathedral is "more than just a French monument” and a beloved treasure of world's cultural heritage.
“The cathedral is a magnificent symbol of unity," the rector said. "A sign of hope, because what seemed impossible has become possible.”
Saturday’s events will blend solemn religious tradition with cultural grandeur, starting with Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors.
Tapping them three times with a staff crafted from charred wood salvaged from the cathedral’s fire-ravaged roof, he will declare the cathedral open for worship once more.
Psalms, prayers, and hymns will fill the cavernous space as the cathedral’s thunderous organ, silenced since the fire, is reawakened. The 8,000-pipe instrument, painstakingly restored and cleaned of toxic lead dust, will respond to the archbishop’s invocation, with four organists performing an improvised interplay of melodies.
Later in the evening, a star-studded concert will take center stage inside the cathedral and pay tribute to its resurrection and to those who labored to restore it, offering a universal message of harmony. Pianist Lang Lang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and soprano Pretty Yende are among the world-famous artists slated to perform.
On Sunday, Ulrich will lead the inaugural Mass and consecrate the cathedral’s new altar, designed by contemporary artist Guillaume Bardet to replace the one crushed beneath the flaming spire in the blaze. Nearly 170 bishops from France and abroad will attend the Mass, alongside priests from all 113 parishes of the Paris diocese.
The reopening of Notre Dame comes at a time of profound unrest world over, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.
For Catholics and Notre Dame's rector, the cathedral "carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.”
“It is a magnificent symbol of unity, a sign of hope,” Dumas said.
Other dignitaries coming to Paris for Notre Dame's rebirth include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, underlining the cathedral's significance as a symbol of shared heritage and peace.
The celebration is expected to give a much-needed boost to embattled Macron, whose prime minister resigned this week, plunging the nation’s political scene into more turmoil.
The French president, who has called Notre Dame's reopening “a jolt of hope,” will address the gathering. He had hoped the occasion would briefly silence his critics and showcase France’s unity and resilience under his leadership.
The ambitious five-year restoration timeline, announced just a day after the 2019 fire, had seemed improbable to many but its achievement serves as a testament to Macron's can-do attitude.
His presidency faces its gravest crisis after the government's collapse this week in a historic no-confidence vote that toppled Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months — the shortest tenure of any government in the history of the Fifth Republic.
The vote followed months of political gridlock after snap elections. Calls are now growing louder from centrists and opposition forces on the far left and right for Macron, whose approval ratings have plummeted, to resign.
But he vowed in an address to the nation on Thursday night to remain in office until the end of his term in 2027, and said he'll name a new prime minister within days.
As France struggles with economic woes and mounting social unrest, Notre Dame's rebirth celebrations is a stark contrast to the crisis.
Security will be tight all through the weekend, echoing measures taken during the Paris Olympics earlier this year.
The Île de la Cité — the small island in the River Seine that is home to Notre Dame — will be closed to tourists and non-residents, with access restricted to invitees and those who live on the island.
Public viewing areas along the Seine’s southern bank will accommodate 40,000 spectators, who can follow the celebrations on large screens.
Archbishop Ulrich's reopening the cathedral doors will be followed by a liturgical service and the reawakening of the grand organ, ending with the celebratory concert that will honor Notre Dame’s cultural and spiritual significance.
For many, Notre Dame’s rebirth is not just a French achievement but a global one — after the reopening, the cathedral is set to welcome 15 million visitors annually, up from 12 million before the fire.
Following the 2019 fire, nearly $1 billion in donations quickly poured in from every corner of the world, testifying to Notre Dame's universal appeal.
FILE - The vaulted ceiling of the Notre-Dame cathedral is seen on Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pedestrians pass Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
FILE - The main entrance of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is pictured on Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
People take photographs of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
FILE - People stand outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, on Nov. 29 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)