Myanmar's Karen insurgents burn another government outpost

Guerrilla soldiers from Myanmar’s Karen ethnic minority burned down a government military outpost on Friday after capturing it without a fight when its garrison fled, a senior Karen officer said.

The position is approximately 15 kilometers (nine miles) from a larger camp that the Karen National Liberation Army stormed and burned 10 days earlier. The KNLA is the armed wing of the Karen National Union, the main political organization representing the Karen minority, whose homeland is in eastern Myanmar.

The Karen and the Kachin in northern Myanmar are the two major ethnic armed organizations that have allied themselves with the movement against the junta that took power in Myanmar after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February.

In this photo provided by Karen National Liberation Army, a Karen National Liberation Army soldier holds a mortar shell found at a Myanmar military outpost Friday, May 7, 2021, in Mutraw district, Karen State, Myanmar. Ethnic Karen guerrillas burned down a Myanmar military outpost Friday morning, capturing it without a fight after its garrison fled at their approach, a senior Karen officer said on Friday (Karen National Liberation Army via AP)

The role of the ethnic fighting groups has become more important as the number of people joining street protests in Myanmar’s cities and towns has declined, in large part due to deadly violence increasingly used by security forces to suppress them. Hundreds of demonstrators and bystanders have died.

There is now daily fighting between the government and the military forces of the Karen and the Kachin.

A shadow National Unity Government formed by the junta’s foes announced this week the formation of a “People’s Defense Force” intended to serve as a precursor to a “Federal Union Army” of democratic forces including ethnic minorities, underlining the major rule they may play.

In this photo provided by Karen National Liberation Army, soldiers of the Karen National Liberation Army are seated in a forest Friday, May 7, 2021, in Mutraw district, Karen State, Myanmar. Ethnic Karen guerrillas burned down a Myanmar military outpost Friday morning, capturing it without a fight after its garrison fled at their approach, a senior Karen officer said. (Karen National Liberation Army via AP)

Video provided to The Associated Press showed KNLA soldiers on Friday inside the U Thu Hta base -– a group of wooden buildings and trenches cut into a forest -– inspecting mortar shells left behind by the government military. The camp is close to the Salween River, which marks the border with Thailand.

“Yesterday our troops fired a few shots and today when we approached there was no one there, so we just entered,” KNLA Maj. Gen. Ner Dah Mya said by phone Friday.

Fighting between the guerrillas and the Myanmar army has been increasing since last year but escalated after the military’s seizure of power.

In this photo provided by Karen National Liberation Army, a cache of mortar shells are gathered together on the ground of a Myanmar military outpost Friday, May 7, 2021, in Mutraw district, Karen State, Myanmar. Ethnic Karen guerrillas burned down a Myanmar military outpost Friday morning, capturing it without a fight after its garrison fled at their approach, a senior Karen officer said. (Karen National Liberation Army via AP)

The Karen National Union has been fighting for greater autonomy for the region for decades. It has denounced the February coup and given shelter to opposition supporters evading arrest. As well as confronting the army on the battlefield, the KNLA has reportedly been training hundreds of young activists from the cities in the rudiments of guerrilla warfare.

The attack raised the likelihood of retaliatory air strikes by the Myanmar military and a surge of refugees trying to flee into Thailand. Myanmar military jets have launched around 30 attacks since the end of March, targeting Karen villages as well as KNLA positions, according to aid groups active in the area.

Several thousand people crossed the Salween River into Thailand in April but Thai authorities insisted they go back to Myanmar.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that 40,000 people have been newly displaced in Karen territory by intensified fighting between the government and the KNLA, and by “indiscriminate attacks” by Myanmar’s army on civilian areas.

Many of the displaced villagers have been hiding out in jungles, caves and valleys.

Allergy season can bring misery to tens of millions of Americans each year.

Tree, grass, and other pollens can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing.

Where you live and what you're allergic to can make a big difference in how bad your allergies are, but there are many things you can do to feel better.

Here are some tips from experts to keep allergies at bay — maybe even enough to allow you to enjoy the outdoors.

There are three main types of pollen. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall.

Some of the most common tree pollens that cause allergies include birch, cedar, cottonwood, maple, elm, oak and walnut, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Grasses that cause symptoms include Bermuda, Johnson, rye and Kentucky bluegrass.

The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure. That’s easier said than done when it's nice out.

Start with keeping your windows closed at home and in the car, avoiding going out when pollen counts are highest and changing clothes when you get home. The same masks that got us through the pandemic can protect you from allergies — though they won't help with eye symptoms.

Pollen trackers can help with planning. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations across the U.S. Counts are available at its website and via email.

You can't fight an enemy you don't know.

Since many Americans are allergic to several things at once, the first thing to figure out is what specifically you’re allergic to, said Dr. Nana Mireku, an allergist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Over-the-counter nasal sprays can help relieve symptoms, but they take a while to kick in, so it’s best to start them in early in the season, said Dr. Rachna Shah, an allergist and director of the Loyola Medicine Allergy Count.

Antihistamines are another option. Shah said she’s seen some patients benefit from switching to a similar brand if one stops working, but said that there isn’t much broader data to back the recommendation.

For young children and people who have to take many different allergy medications, immunotherapies in the form of shots and oral drops can help desensitize the immune system to allergens, treating symptoms at their root.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-the-counter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. This year, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City.

If you've been thinking it started earlier and seems longer this year, you're on to something.

Shah usually starts looking at pollen counts in the Chicago area in April. But this year, she peeked at her data in mid-February, and tree pollen was already at a “moderate” level.

“This season has been so nuts,” she said. “Granted, it was a pretty mild winter, but I didn’t expect it to be so early.”

Shah said she believes this season will be longer than other years, assuming the weather remains warm.

Experts say climate change has led to longer and more intense allergy seasons.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Tree pollen pods lay in a pile at a park in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2024. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-the-counter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. In 2024, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - An oak tree with new leaf growth also shows pollen and a drop of water hanging among the branches at a park in Richardson, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2024. There are three main types of pollen. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)