Myanmar
reinforcing troops along border
Land
mine blasts along Myanmar border
continue
Bangladesh
Burma to resolve border tension
Myanmar
massing troops along border
Bangladesh-Burma
border clash
Arakan
Killings Reported
Myanmar
reinforcing troops along border
The tension in the country’s south eastern
frontier is mounting as Myanmar has reinforced troops along its
border with Bangladesh, BDR sources said last night.
The Bangladesh side is also well prepared to face any eventuality,
the sources said, adding "BDR looks forward to holding another
flag meeting with the border security force, Nasaka, of Myanmar
within three days".
Myanmar has brought to the advanced positions its regular troops
from its army base in Maungdou.
Our Bandarban correspondent reports, Myanmar has imposed a curfew
along the border, close to the non man's land, and arms and
ammunition as well as troops were being brought from the Akyab sea
port through vessels.
Hundreds of people in frontier areas in Teknaf and Ukhiya of Cox’s
Bazar district and Gundum and Naikhangchari of Bandarban district
are fleeing their homes apprehending possible attacks from across
the border.
DHAKA, INDEPENDENT NEWS, 13TH
JANUARY 2001
TOP
Land
mine blasts along Myanmar border continue
COX'S BAZAR, Jan 12: Explosion of land mines along
Bangladesh-Myanmar border continued for the third day today,
creating panic among people in border villages of Bangladesh,
sources said.
Local people and BDR sources said, a series of land mine explosions
took place in Naikkongchhari, Fultali and Amtali border areas.
Two cows were killed in land mine explosions at Amtali 'Zero point'
this morning. Panic-stricken Bangladeshi villagers are fleeing their
homes. Villagers said a series of land mines planted by Myanmar
border forces Nasaka in the zero line of the border exploded near
border pillar number 47 and 48 in the last three days.
BDR jawans requested the woodcutters and local people not to go near
border pillers as Nasaka continued to plant land mines along the
border.
Our correspondent from Bandarban reports, Nasaka imposed curfew
along 20-kilometre bordering areas on their side on January 10.
The curfew was imposed in the backdrop of massing of troops along
Myanmar border. BDR and Nasaka exchanged fire on January 18 over
construction of a dam over river Naf by Nasaka.
BDR sources said, a flag meeting between the two sides will be held
on January 14 at Ulubonia, Cox's Bazar.
DHAKA, THE DAILY STAR, 13TH
JANUARY 2001
TOP
Bangladesh
Burma to resolve border tension
Bangladesh and Burma have agreed to defuse tension on their
border, after an exchange of fire there on Monday.
Both countries had sent troop reinforcements to the border zone
following reports last week that Burma has started building a
long-disputed dam on the river Naaf.
The Bangladesh foreign minister, Abdus Samad Azad, told journalists
today the two countries had pledged to abide by an agreement which
prevents either of them from constructing dams on the river Naaf,
which forms part of their border.
Bangladesh says the dam would flood or cause erosion in its
territory and damage shrimp cultivation projects. Burma argued the
construction work on the dam had been undertaken by local villagers
and the government had nothing to do with it.
LONDON, BBC WORLD SERVICE
NEWSROOM, 11TH JANUARY 2001
TOP
Myanmar massing
troops along border
Myanmar has started deploying regular
troops along the southeastern border of Bangladesh since yesterday
morning.
According to sources, Myanmar army have moved to forward positions
within one and a half kilometers off the frontier on the river Naf,
which separates the two countries.
Nasaka, border forces of the Myanmar who traded fire with BDR on
Monday, have also called in reinforcement, the sources said.
Myanmar have deployed regular soldiers across Ulubonia, Palangkhali,
Rejupara, Chakdala and Ashartali border outposts of BDR, it is
learnt.
Deployment of troops within eight kilometers or five miles of the
zero line is a violation of international border regulations.
Following movements across the border, BDR have called in additional
reinforcements from Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Rangamati. Bangladesh
Army, however, have not made any move yet.
Tension hung heavy in the air near Palangkhali Border Out Post (BOP)
in Ukhia thana, 48 kilometers off Cox's Bazar.
Our Cox's Bazar correspondent reported
that some villagers of Ulobonia and Palangkhali areas already fled
their homes following Monday's skirmishes that lasted for several
hours.
A company-level flag meeting between
BDR and Nasaka Monday evening led to a seven-day cease-fire and
suspension of construction of an embankment.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is closely
monitoring the situation along the southeastern border. The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, it is learnt, is expecting a reply to the
complaint it has lodged with Myanmar Ambassador U Ohn Thwin in Dhaka
on Monday regarding construction of an embankment in violation of
international law and a bilateral agreement on the river Naf.
Authorities concerned in Dhaka said
that they were expecting assurance from the Myanmar authorities that
they were not erecting any permanent embankment on the Naf river
since it would lead to flooding, river erosion and loss of shrimp
farming in Bangladesh territory.
Besides, it would be a flagrant
violation of the maritime agreement signed between the two
countries, they added.
The authorities pointed out that an
agreement encompassing the demarcation across the Naf river was
signed in 1966. In 1980, another agreement on land boundary
demarcation was sealed between Dhaka and Yangon in which the 1966
agreement was also recognised.
Clause Five of the 1966 agreement on
the Naf river says: "The contracting parties agree that after
coming into force of the present agreement, neither party shall
conduct river training, river training work or utilise the flow of
the Naf river or its waters on its own side of the international
boundary for industrial purpose, drainage, water conservancy,
irrigation, generation of hydro-electric power and the like to such
an extent as to prejudice the interest of the other party."
A high-ranking official of the Myanmar
embassy, when asked about the deployment of troops across the border
yesterday and the construction of embankment said. "We have
received no feedback from our headquarters. Therefore, it is the
embassy's view that the incident in the border is not a big deal,
and it is a common event involving any international border."
"The incident which was reported
to have taken place will be settled shortly and tension defused. The
BDR and Nasaka will hopefully solve it by having more flag
meetings," the official said.
DHAKA, THE DAILY STAR, 10TH
JANUARY 2001
TOP
Bangladesh-Burma border
clash
Bangladesh and Burmese border guards have exchanged fire amid
rising tension over a controversial dam project on the Naaf river.
The brief shooting appeared to take place as Burma began
constructing an embankment on the river.
There are no reports of any casualties.
A senior Bangladesh official says Burma has now agreed to suspend
the construction work on the project.
The Naaf river, situated in south-eastern Bangladesh, forms part
of the 320 km border between the two countries.
A senior military official said soldiers from the Bangladesh
Rifles fired up to 25 warning shots from a post in the frontier town
of Teknaf.
"Our guards had fired several warning shots to stop the
construction and in reply to one to two rounds fired from Myanmar's
[Burma] side," Colonel Mohammad Rafique Rahman told the AFP
news agency.
Envoy summoned
Earlier, in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, the Burmese
ambassador was summoned to discuss concerns over the plan to dam the
Naaf.
The ambassador, Tint Lwin, said that Burma was not responsible
for the building of the dam.
He said local villagers had started construction and the Burmese
authorities had nothing to do with it.
Both countries are reported to have deployed additional troops
along the border in recent days.
Possible damage
Bangladesh says if the project goes ahead, it would flood or
cause erosion in its territory and damage shrimp cultivation
projects.
They say the construction would also violate a 1962 agreement
between Dhaka and Rangoon not to build any dams to obstruct or
divert the flow of the Naaf.
"We will resist the building of the dam on the Naaf river.
We cannot allow this to go ahead," Reuters quoted an unnamed
Bangladeshi border official as saying.
The Burmese authorities were not available for comment
LONDON, BBC WORLD SERVICE
NEWSROOM, 8TH JANUARY 2001
TOP
Arakan Killings Reported
Twenty-five Muslims were killed by Burmese soldiers in Burma's
Arakan State as people in the Muslim majority area of southwestern
Burma were barred from offering prayers to mark the end of Ramadan,
according to a statement issued by the Jamaat-e-Islami, a Bangladesh
political party. The statement asked the United Nations and Muslim
nations to pressure Burma's army junta to respect the rights of the
country's Muslim minority
DHAKA, THE INDEPENDENCE, 1ST
JANUARY 2001
TOP
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