Suu Kyi's son: Myanmar elections 'rubbish'

BANGKOK, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- About 10,000 people from Myanmar fled into Thailand Monday, trying to escape fighting between government forces and a rebel group, officials said.

The rebels -- a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army -- and forces of the military junta were fighting over control of the town Myawaddy, near the Myanmar-Thai border, CNN reported.

Three people died in the fighting, Sky News reported.

Reports indicate at least five Myanmar refugees and five Thais were injured in the fighting. The Bangkok Post reported shells fell on the Thai side of the border, but the Thai military didn't return fire.

Lt. Col. Vannathit Wongwai, commander of Thailand's 3rd Region Army, said military officials of the country formerly known as Burma told him they retook control of Myawaddy after bringing in 500 reinforcements to battle the rebels.

A report on the Burma Election Tracker Web site, fighting broke out began when Democratic Karen Buddhist Army members rebelled because the Myanmar military was forcing people to vote in Sunday's elections at gunpoint.

"In order to win votes in the elections, (the junta) is bullying and forcing people to vote. But the people want to boycott (the vote), so the soldiers are holding them at gunpoint and our troops had to intervene and take sides with the people," the Web site report quoted Brig. Gen. Na Kham Mwe, leader of the faction, as saying.

Critics have called Myanmar's first election in 20 years a sham, CNN said. Opposition parties were either limited in the candidates they could run or boycotted the election. The junta did not allow international monitors.

A son of Myanmar dissident Aung San Suu Kyi called weekend elections a "load of rubbish" as he applied in Bangkok for a visa to visit his mother.

Kim Aris, 33, said he did not know how long the application process would take or whether he would get a visa but would stay in Bangkok until he got a reply on his application, the Bangkok Post reported Monday.

Asked about the election, Aris said, "What a load of rubbish. ... But you should not quote me on that."

Concerning the prospects of visiting his mother, under house arrest for nearly 14 years in the country formerly known as Burma, Aris said, "It's the same as ever. But there's a little hope. We'll see."

This week, the ruling military junta is expected to extend Suu Kyi's house arrest, which expires Saturday.