Summary A long simmering border dispute between Thailand and Myanmar escalated on January 28, when the Thai navy vowed to fire on Myanmar vessels to prevent them from attacking Thai fishing trawlers in contested waters. The Thai warning follows two attacks by unmarked, armed trawlers from Myanmar in a little over a month, one of which left two Thai sailors dead. Bangkok is generally unfazed by the internal Cambodian and Myanmar disputes that regularly spill over Thailand's borders, but it has clearly drawn the line at incidents that directly impact its citizens. The question is, what does Myanmar hope to gain from its attacks? Analysis Thailand's navy chief of staff, Admiral Prasert Boonsong, warned on January 28 that the Thai navy would open fire on unmarked armed trawlers that have regularly invaded Thai waters from Myanmar and fired on Thai fishermen.