Rebels clash with troops after Burma election

Clashes between rebels and Burmese government troops raged in a key border town today, a day after the country’s first election in two decades – polling which critics say will the cement the military-run government’s power.

Gunfire and clashes broke out along Burma’s border with Thailand yesterday in the first sign of post-election violence. At least 10 people were wounded and hundreds of panicked refugees fled into Thailand.