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Myanmar clamps curfew along Bangla



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Myanmar clamps curfew along Bangla border

The Indian Express (New Delhi)
January 15, 2001

AGENCIES
Dhaka, JAN 14

MYANMAR border troops clamped indefinite curfew along a 20-km stretch of
the frontier with Bangladesh today ahead of peace talks between senior
commanders on both sides.

Tension mounted on the frontier between Bangladesh and Myanmar (formerly
Burma) at the weekend after the two countries massed troops following a
border skirmish over the construction of a dam by the Yangon authorities
on the Naaf river.

The official Bangladesh news agency said Myanmar was deploying fresh
troops and military hardware in the region. The agency said both sides
were to meet at a border flag meeting today in a bid to ease tensions.

Bangladeshi commanders of the Bangladeshi Border Security Force (BDR)
said military contingents in the region had been on high alert since
Friday.

Local officials said hundreds of villagers on both sides of the border
had left their homes amidst a build up of tension.

About 25,000 troops from Myanmar's Nasaka border force and regular Army
units were deployed along the frontier, Government officials in the
Bangladeshi Border town Teknaf said.

Earlier, Bangladesh and Myanmar began deploying heavy weapons after
Bangladesh opposed the construction of the river dam.

Nasaka forces dug trenches and moved in military equipment along the
border near Teknaf, about 400 km south-east of the capital Dhaka.

Myanmar suspended construction of the dam after a flag meeting between
rival local commanders following a border clash on January 8.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh said its troops were ready to respond quickly if
Myanmar soldiers opened fire across the countries' border or if Myanmar
resumes construction of a dam on the NAF border river.

"We are ready for a prompt and appropriate response if they pull the
trigger again or resume construction of the dam," said Colonel Shawkat
Ali, a Commanding Officer of the BDR. Ali said Bangladesh had deployed
more than 10,000 para-mililary troops to face any attack from Myanmar.
Witnesses said BDR troops have taken up position in fortified positions
and bunkers.

"We are maintaining a round-the-clock alert," Ali fold reporters. "We
are ready to defend our interests along the frontier."

Bangladesh is still awaiting a response from Myanmar to a call for a
high-level meeting to resolve the dispute, he said.





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<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
<html>
<b><font size=+2>Myanmar clamps curfew along Bangla border</font></b>
<p>The Indian Express (New Delhi)
<br>January 15, 2001
<p><b>AGENCIES</b>
<br><b>Dhaka, JAN 14</b>
<p>MYANMAR border troops clamped indefinite curfew along a 20-km stretch
of the frontier with Bangladesh today ahead of peace talks between senior
commanders on both sides.
<p>Tension mounted on the frontier between Bangladesh and Myanmar (formerly
Burma) at the weekend after the two countries massed troops following a
border skirmish over the construction of a dam by the Yangon authorities
on the Naaf river.
<p>The official Bangladesh news agency said Myanmar was deploying fresh
troops and military hardware in the region. The agency said both sides
were to meet at a border flag meeting today in a bid to ease tensions.
<p>Bangladeshi commanders of the Bangladeshi Border Security Force (BDR)
said military contingents in the region had been on high alert since Friday.
<p>Local officials said hundreds of villagers on both sides of the border
had left their homes amidst a build up of tension.
<p>About 25,000 troops from Myanmar's Nasaka border force and regular Army
units were deployed along the frontier, Government officials in the Bangladeshi
Border town Teknaf said.
<p>Earlier, Bangladesh and Myanmar began deploying heavy weapons after
Bangladesh opposed the construction of the river dam.
<p>Nasaka forces dug trenches and moved in military equipment along the
border near Teknaf, about 400 km south-east of the capital Dhaka.
<p>Myanmar suspended construction of the dam after a flag meeting between
rival local commanders following a border clash on January 8.
<p>Meanwhile, Bangladesh said its troops were ready to respond quickly
if Myanmar soldiers opened fire across the countries' border or if Myanmar
resumes construction of a dam on the NAF border river.
<p>"We are ready for a prompt and appropriate response if they pull the
trigger again or resume construction of the dam," said Colonel Shawkat
Ali, a Commanding Officer of the BDR. Ali said Bangladesh had deployed
more than 10,000 para-mililary troops to face any attack from Myanmar.
Witnesses said BDR troops have taken up position in fortified positions
and bunkers.
<p>"We are maintaining a round-the-clock alert," Ali fold reporters. "We
are ready to defend our interests along the frontier."
<p>Bangladesh is still awaiting a response from Myanmar to a call for a
high-level meeting to resolve the dispute, he said.
<br>&nbsp;
<br>&nbsp;
<p>&nbsp;</html>

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