11 Army Battalions Deployed to Construct Border Fence

Maungdaw, Dec 20 : At least eleven Burmese army battalions have been deployed along the Burmese border near Bangladesh to erect barbed-wire fences, said a source close to the army. The source said that previously there were seven battalions deployed along the border from Maungdaw Township in Arakan to Paletwa in southern Chin State, a distance of 200 kilometers. Another four battalions, three from Buthidaung Township and one from Rathidaung Township, have been sent to the border recently. The battalions from Buthidaung were identified as Light Infantry Battalions 535, 564, and 353, while the fourth battalion from Rathidaung Township is LIB 536. The seven battalions already stationed along the border are Light Battalions 55 and 20, and Light Infantry Battalions 289, 344, 234, 538, and 263. Burmese military authorities have also deployed many police and riot police at many outposts along the border to work with the army on the border fence construction. The border situation between Bangladesh and Burma has been increasingly tense with the multiple army battalions being sent to reinforce troops along the border in Burma. Bangladesh border forces are closely watching the situation after Burma began construction on the fence. According to a Bangladesh source, one naval ship equipped with highly sophisticated equipment, including radar covering 15 nautical miles, has been deployed in the Bay of Bengal near Burmese waters.