Many battle weary Arakan-based battalions of the Burmese Army which had been sent to the eastern frontlines to wage war on ethnic revolutionary groups have returned to their headquarters in Arakan State, said a source close to the army.
At least seven battalions, including Buthidaung-based Battalions 353, 289,353 and 564, have returned to their headquarters over the last two days from the eastern Burmese border, the source said.
In the Buthidaung cantonment there are ten battalions, but most are deployed to the eastern frontlines near Thailand to fight ethnic insurgents. Along the 170 kilometers of western border from Maungdaw to Paletwa there are five Burmese battalions, including Light Infantry Battalions 354, 554, and 289, and Light Battalions 34 and 55, said the source.
The battalions which have returned are expected to join some other battalions that have recently been deployed in the border with Bangladesh.
A townsperson from Maungdaw said that he had heard large number of troops was being deployed along the border, but he had not actually seen any more troops in the area.
At the same time, Bangladesh authorities have been deploying additional forces along the border, particularly in the Cox's Bazaar and Nikkongchhari areas.
It was reported in newspapers today that Burmese soldiers have been digging trenches along the border and carrying heavy weaponry. Tension has subsequently been mounting along the Cox's Bazaar and Bandarban border with Burma.
A Bangladesh Rifles official was quoted as saying that the Bangladesh government has also deployed troops in Cox's Bazaar and the Bandarban Hill District areas along the border to reinforce BDR forces there.
It was also reported that BDR has been digging trenches along the border in Teknaf, a key point for trading with Burma.
The tension between Bangladesh and Burma began when a Korean oil exploration rig escorted by Burmese warships entered Bangladesh territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal to explore for oil and natural gas.
Although the conflict escalated on sea and the exploration ship has since returned to Burmese waters, tension remains palpable along the shared land border between the two countries.
