From:
Even as tension escalates between Bangladesh and Burma, the Bangladeshi Army Chief Lt Gen Abdul Mubin visited Alikadam in Bandarban district, near the border with Burma, on Monday evening to review the latest situation, border sources said.
A source on the Burma-Bangladesh border said, the Army Chief made a surprise visit at about 3 p.m. and spoke to army officers.“The Army Chief arrived in Alikadam yesterday and talked to army officers stationed here. Both Burma and Bangladesh have mobilized more troops and the situation is tense,” the source told Mizzima.
Another source on the border said at least 700 Bangladeshi soldiers have been positioned near the Burma-Bangladesh border since Monday.A report by the Dhaka-based Daily Star, quoting defence sources on Monday said, tension between Burma and Bangladesh has escalated with the Burmese military regime bringing in tanks, artillery, 13 warships and a frigate on Sunday.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Defence as well as the army and the Bangladesh Military Intelligence (BMI) have all refused to comment on the situation saying “We are not authorized.”Tin Soe, Assistant Editor of the Chittagong-based Burmese News Agency the Kaladan Press Network on Tuesday said, Bangladesh, which already has its border security forces the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) deployed in the region are bringing in at least four army battalions.“Our sources in the military said Bangladesh is bringing in at least four army battalions and the Burmese are said to be reinforcing with about four to five battalions,” Tin Soe said. He said a Bangladesh navy frigate, which is normally stationed in Chittagong is now patrolling the area.
The Daily Star on Tuesday, quoting a naval officer stationed in Chittagong, reported that a frigate of the Bangladesh Navy BNS Abu Bakar is patrolling the sea near the disputed area where Burma had tried to set up rigs last November for exploration.Meanwhile, sources said Burmese soldiers have begun work on fencing the border in Maungdaw Township of Arakan State.
Sources said while the Burmese military government has suddenly increased military presence along the border in recent days, it is still not clear whether Burma is bringing in more troops for fencing the border or because of its maritime dispute with Bangladesh.
Showing posts with label bangladesh Myanmar Relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bangladesh Myanmar Relations. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Myanmar building tunnel in Arakan to house fighter jets!
From:
The Burmese military junta has been constructing a tunnel bunker in Ann Township in Arakan State since the beginning of this year for storing fighter jets, said a military source. The tunnel is located in Mae Daung Mountain, located ten miles north of Ann where the Western Command is stationed.
According to a local source, a military air base has also been under construction Ann Town for the last few years but is now complete, and fighter jets are now landing at the base. The tunnel is intended to be connected with the air base but no further information about the tunnel is known, one analyst said.
The Burmese military junta has been constructing many underground tunnels throughout Burma with the help of North Korea, but there is no detailed information on the tunnel in Arakan, or whether North Korea is assisting in the construction.
According to the military source, this is the latest military build-up in Arakan State. Prior to this, the regime built other military infrastructure, including Kyauk Pru Navy Base, Ann Air Base, and Kyaun Thaya Radar Station.
The Burmese military has been increasing its strength in Arakan State because it is in a strategic location on the Bay of Bengal, which is rich in natural resources.
The Burmese military junta has been constructing a tunnel bunker in Ann Township in Arakan State since the beginning of this year for storing fighter jets, said a military source. The tunnel is located in Mae Daung Mountain, located ten miles north of Ann where the Western Command is stationed.
According to a local source, a military air base has also been under construction Ann Town for the last few years but is now complete, and fighter jets are now landing at the base. The tunnel is intended to be connected with the air base but no further information about the tunnel is known, one analyst said.
The Burmese military junta has been constructing many underground tunnels throughout Burma with the help of North Korea, but there is no detailed information on the tunnel in Arakan, or whether North Korea is assisting in the construction.
According to the military source, this is the latest military build-up in Arakan State. Prior to this, the regime built other military infrastructure, including Kyauk Pru Navy Base, Ann Air Base, and Kyaun Thaya Radar Station.
The Burmese military has been increasing its strength in Arakan State because it is in a strategic location on the Bay of Bengal, which is rich in natural resources.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Bangladesh-Myanmar relations on collision course?
From Burma News Network:
Construction work on the barbed-wire fencing was suddenly stopped yesterday at Maungdaw in Arakan State, as the authorities received information that about 16,000 army personnel from Bangladesh were ready to penetrate into Arakan North from Chittagong Hill Tracts, a close aide of the Nasaka from Maungdaw said.
The Burmese army personnel immediately left the work site, after hearing the rumor regarding the Bangladesh Army planning to enter North Arakan. After leaving some soldiers in the Nasaka camp, all the rest went to the nearby mountains to observe the situation, after taking shelter in the forest.
Meanwhile, on the Burmese side, recently, at least eleven Burmese army battalions have been deployed along the Burma-Bangladesh border to raise barbed-wire fences. They are LIB, No. 536, 535, 564, 353, 538, 263, 234, 344, 289, 20 and 55.
Burma has planned to deploy at least 30,000 army personnel on the Burma-Bangladesh border, for the security of the barbed-wire fence, according to a Nasaka source.
The Burmese authority has deployed soldiers along the border from Maungdaw Township to Paletwa in Chin State.
The border situation between the two countries has been increasingly tense, with several army battalions being sent to reinforce troops along the Burma-Bangladesh border by the Burmese military junta.
According to sources, Bangladesh border forces are still closely watching the construction of the barbed-wire fence on the Burma-Bangladesh border, by the Burmese junta without giving any information to the friendly neighboring country, Bangladesh.
According to a Bangladeshi source, a naval ship equipped with sophisticated equipment, has been sighted in the Bay of Bengal near Burmese waters.
Regarding the barbed-wire fence, last month, a group of army personnel, consisting of over 100 army officers, had conducted a survey in Rathedaung and Maungdaw Township, from Mayu Tek (Angumaw) of Rathedaung Township, to Pletwa of Chin State, a businessman from Maungdaw said.
According to villagers near the Bangladesh border, extra deployment of soldiers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has not been seen on the Bangladesh side.
The people of north Arakan do not know the reason, why the Burmese junta suddenly started erecting the barbed-wire fence and reinforcement of army on the Burma-Bangladesh border, according to sources.
Construction work on the barbed-wire fencing was suddenly stopped yesterday at Maungdaw in Arakan State, as the authorities received information that about 16,000 army personnel from Bangladesh were ready to penetrate into Arakan North from Chittagong Hill Tracts, a close aide of the Nasaka from Maungdaw said.
The Burmese army personnel immediately left the work site, after hearing the rumor regarding the Bangladesh Army planning to enter North Arakan. After leaving some soldiers in the Nasaka camp, all the rest went to the nearby mountains to observe the situation, after taking shelter in the forest.
Meanwhile, on the Burmese side, recently, at least eleven Burmese army battalions have been deployed along the Burma-Bangladesh border to raise barbed-wire fences. They are LIB, No. 536, 535, 564, 353, 538, 263, 234, 344, 289, 20 and 55.
Burma has planned to deploy at least 30,000 army personnel on the Burma-Bangladesh border, for the security of the barbed-wire fence, according to a Nasaka source.
The Burmese authority has deployed soldiers along the border from Maungdaw Township to Paletwa in Chin State.
The border situation between the two countries has been increasingly tense, with several army battalions being sent to reinforce troops along the Burma-Bangladesh border by the Burmese military junta.
According to sources, Bangladesh border forces are still closely watching the construction of the barbed-wire fence on the Burma-Bangladesh border, by the Burmese junta without giving any information to the friendly neighboring country, Bangladesh.
According to a Bangladeshi source, a naval ship equipped with sophisticated equipment, has been sighted in the Bay of Bengal near Burmese waters.
Regarding the barbed-wire fence, last month, a group of army personnel, consisting of over 100 army officers, had conducted a survey in Rathedaung and Maungdaw Township, from Mayu Tek (Angumaw) of Rathedaung Township, to Pletwa of Chin State, a businessman from Maungdaw said.
According to villagers near the Bangladesh border, extra deployment of soldiers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has not been seen on the Bangladesh side.
The people of north Arakan do not know the reason, why the Burmese junta suddenly started erecting the barbed-wire fence and reinforcement of army on the Burma-Bangladesh border, according to sources.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Bangladesh Myanmar border tension: why?
From:
Burmese military preparedness along the country’s land and sea borders with Bangladesh was stepped up this week, although the reason for the latest increase in tension is not clear.
Bangladeshi border troops were put on alert on March 16 after reporting unusual movements by Burmese forces, who also began to build a barbed wire fence along the 200 km frontier between the two countries.
Local Burmese authorities said the fence was being built to deter smuggling and human trafficking. Illegal immigration has been a problem for this border region of Burma’s Arakan State since colonial times.
Although the Burmese explanation for the fence is credible, Bangladesh military officials have told Dhaka newspapers that Burmese ships had been mobilized in the Bay of Bengal, increasing tension along the sea border.
Warships of the two countries were involved in a border standoff late last year when the Burmese regime attempted to drill for natural gas in a disputed area of the Bay of Bengal. Some reports from Rangoon suggested that the latest tension between Burma and Bangladesh is being orchestrated by the Naypyidaw regime as a diversion in the run up to the 2010 election. It is suggested that problems with Burma’s Muslim neighbor are being provoked as a way of making “scapegoats” of Arakan State’s Muslim minority.
Anti-Muslim books and other publications are reportedly being distributed in Rangoon and towns in Arakan State. The military regimes ruling Burma since 1962 have a history of creating false rumors against the country’s Muslim and Chinese minorities. Bloody riots sometimes resulted.
One common rumor accuses a Muslim man of raping a Buddhist woman, according to a Burmese political observer in Rangoon. “Many Burmese are not very tolerant of different religions and cultures,” he said.
There have been high-level visits by Burmese junta officials to the border region recently. Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein travelled there in late January and inspected government projects in the region.
Among the projects are highways connecting Rangoon and the Arakan towns of Sittwe and Kyaukphyu and a railroad between Arakan State and the west bank of the Irrawaddy River.
The junta’s number 2, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, also travelled recently to Arakan State., but the purpose of his journey was not made public.
Other key Burmese ministers, including Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan, Construction Minister Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint and Post and Telecommunication Minister Brig-Gen Thein Zaw also visited Arakan State in February. Kyaw Hsan opened TV transmitter stations and libraries.
“I think ruling generals made many trips to Arakan State recently because the anti-junta movement there is quite strong,” Aye Thar Aung, an Arakan leader, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.
Aye Thar Aung said that although the authorities were distributing anti-Muslim papers in Arakan State, they would not influence public feeling. “The Arakan people see the issues of the Rohingyas and military rule as separate ones. Anti-Muslim propaganda will not make the people of Arakan State pro-junta.”
Western Burma is not only an important region for the Burmese junta but also of geopolitical and strategic interest for the junta’s closest ally, China. Beijing is scheduled to construct oil and gas pipelines from Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Port to Yunnan Province in Southwest China in 2009. The US $2.5 billion project, which includes upgrading Kyaukpyu Port, is scheduled for completion by April 2013.
The pipelines will carry 85 percent of China’s Middle East oil imports, as well as Burmese natural gas from the Bay of Bengal.
The Chinese-financed projects were believed to have figured prominently in talks in Naypyidaw on Wednesday between junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, who is currently visiting Burma.
Burmese military preparedness along the country’s land and sea borders with Bangladesh was stepped up this week, although the reason for the latest increase in tension is not clear.
Bangladeshi border troops were put on alert on March 16 after reporting unusual movements by Burmese forces, who also began to build a barbed wire fence along the 200 km frontier between the two countries.
Local Burmese authorities said the fence was being built to deter smuggling and human trafficking. Illegal immigration has been a problem for this border region of Burma’s Arakan State since colonial times.
Although the Burmese explanation for the fence is credible, Bangladesh military officials have told Dhaka newspapers that Burmese ships had been mobilized in the Bay of Bengal, increasing tension along the sea border.
Warships of the two countries were involved in a border standoff late last year when the Burmese regime attempted to drill for natural gas in a disputed area of the Bay of Bengal. Some reports from Rangoon suggested that the latest tension between Burma and Bangladesh is being orchestrated by the Naypyidaw regime as a diversion in the run up to the 2010 election. It is suggested that problems with Burma’s Muslim neighbor are being provoked as a way of making “scapegoats” of Arakan State’s Muslim minority.
Anti-Muslim books and other publications are reportedly being distributed in Rangoon and towns in Arakan State. The military regimes ruling Burma since 1962 have a history of creating false rumors against the country’s Muslim and Chinese minorities. Bloody riots sometimes resulted.
One common rumor accuses a Muslim man of raping a Buddhist woman, according to a Burmese political observer in Rangoon. “Many Burmese are not very tolerant of different religions and cultures,” he said.
There have been high-level visits by Burmese junta officials to the border region recently. Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein travelled there in late January and inspected government projects in the region.
Among the projects are highways connecting Rangoon and the Arakan towns of Sittwe and Kyaukphyu and a railroad between Arakan State and the west bank of the Irrawaddy River.
The junta’s number 2, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, also travelled recently to Arakan State., but the purpose of his journey was not made public.
Other key Burmese ministers, including Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan, Construction Minister Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint and Post and Telecommunication Minister Brig-Gen Thein Zaw also visited Arakan State in February. Kyaw Hsan opened TV transmitter stations and libraries.
“I think ruling generals made many trips to Arakan State recently because the anti-junta movement there is quite strong,” Aye Thar Aung, an Arakan leader, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.
Aye Thar Aung said that although the authorities were distributing anti-Muslim papers in Arakan State, they would not influence public feeling. “The Arakan people see the issues of the Rohingyas and military rule as separate ones. Anti-Muslim propaganda will not make the people of Arakan State pro-junta.”
Western Burma is not only an important region for the Burmese junta but also of geopolitical and strategic interest for the junta’s closest ally, China. Beijing is scheduled to construct oil and gas pipelines from Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Port to Yunnan Province in Southwest China in 2009. The US $2.5 billion project, which includes upgrading Kyaukpyu Port, is scheduled for completion by April 2013.
The pipelines will carry 85 percent of China’s Middle East oil imports, as well as Burmese natural gas from the Bay of Bengal.
The Chinese-financed projects were believed to have figured prominently in talks in Naypyidaw on Wednesday between junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, who is currently visiting Burma.
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