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Reuters-Bangladesh forces trade fir

Subject: Reuters-Bangladesh forces trade fire with Myanmar 

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Bangladesh forces trade fire with Myanmar=20
04:28 a.m. Dec 29, 1999 Eastern=20
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh and Myanmar =
border troops have exchanged fire across their mutual frontier near the =
southern Bangladeshi resort town of Cox's Bazar, security officials said =
on Wednesday.=20

``The three-hour exchange occured early on Tuesday as the Myanmar =
frontier force Nasaka fired on our camp across the border without any =
provocation,'' Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Wasim of the Bangladesh =
Rifles (BDR) told Reuters.=20

``The Nasaka used heavy machine guns while BDR silenced them with =
mortars,'' he said, adding it was not immediately known if there were =
any casualties.=20

The Myanmar side was yet to respond to a BDR proposal for a meeting over =
the incident, which occurred at Tumbru, 65 km (40 miles) southeast of =
Cox's Bazar, Wasim said.=20

Cross border shooting incidents are not uncommon between the two sides, =
often accompanied by Bangladeshi allegations of intrusions by Myanmar =
forces into its territory.=20

The latest shootout followed the arrest of two suspected Myanmar =
militants armed with sub-machineguns along the frontier on Sunday, =
officials said.=20

But it was not immediately clear if the shooting incident was linked to =
the arrests.=20

The arrested militants said they were members of the Nasaka but =
Bangladesh police suspect them of belonging to armed Moslem groups =
seeking either a separate homeland or an end to the Yangon military =
junta's rule.=20

``We are investigating, they could be separatists,'' one police officers =
said, adding they had seized their guns along with more than 50 rounds =
of live ammunition.=20

In the early 1990s Myanmar forces overran a BDR camp near the border, =
killing one paramilitary soldier.=20

``They often intrude into our territory and abduct fishermen and wood =
cutters,'' a BDR officer said, adding nearly 300 Bangladeshis, mostly =
fishermen, were now in Myanmar jails.=20

The official said the fishermen had been charged falsely with illegal =
fishing.=20


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>Bangladesh =
forces trade fire=20
with Myanmar</STRONG></FONT> <BR>04:28 a.m. Dec 29, 1999 Eastern=20
<P>COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh and Myanmar =
border=20
troops have exchanged fire across their mutual frontier near the =
southern=20
Bangladeshi resort town of Cox's Bazar, security officials said on =
Wednesday.=20
<P>``The three-hour exchange occured early on Tuesday as the Myanmar =
frontier=20
force Nasaka fired on our camp across the border without any =
provocation,''=20
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Wasim of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) told =
Reuters.=20
<P>``The Nasaka used heavy machine guns while BDR silenced them with =
mortars,''=20
he said, adding it was not immediately known if there were any =
casualties.=20
<P>The Myanmar side was yet to respond to a BDR proposal for a meeting =
over the=20
incident, which occurred at Tumbru, 65 km (40 miles) southeast of Cox's =
Bazar,=20
Wasim said.=20
<P>Cross border shooting incidents are not uncommon between the two =
sides, often=20
accompanied by Bangladeshi allegations of intrusions by Myanmar forces =
into its=20
territory.=20
<P>The latest shootout followed the arrest of two suspected Myanmar =
militants=20
armed with sub-machineguns along the frontier on Sunday, officials said. =

<P>But it was not immediately clear if the shooting incident was linked =
to the=20
arrests.=20
<P>The arrested militants said they were members of the Nasaka but =
Bangladesh=20
police suspect them of belonging to armed Moslem groups seeking either a =

separate homeland or an end to the Yangon military junta's rule.=20
<P>``We are investigating, they could be separatists,'' one police =
officers=20
said, adding they had seized their guns along with more than 50 rounds =
of live=20
ammunition.=20
<P>In the early 1990s Myanmar forces overran a BDR camp near the border, =
killing=20
one paramilitary soldier.=20
<P>``They often intrude into our territory and abduct fishermen and wood =

cutters,'' a BDR officer said, adding nearly 300 Bangladeshis, mostly =
fishermen,=20
were now in Myanmar jails.=20
<P>The official said the fishermen had been charged falsely with illegal =

fishing. </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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