Sittwe: The Burmese military junta has reinforced its troops along the border with Bangladesh to inspect border pillars and build border fences, said a military source.

Even though the source claims the deployed troops are for inspecting pillars and fence construction, Bangladesh has concerns about the increase of Burmese battalions along its border.

Because of these concerns, Bangladesh has also reinforced its paramilitary troops along the border with Burma.

A Bangladesh Rifles official confirmed that BDR troops had been deployed to sensitive areas along the border and other preparations had been undertaken after an increase in border tension.

Burmese authorities have deployed at least nine battalions along the border from Maungdaw to Paletwa near the Indo-Burma border since construction on the border fence resumed last Friday.

The battalions stationed along the border from Maungdaw to Paletwa are Light Battalions 55 and 20, and Light Infantry Battalions 234, 263, 344, 233, 289, and 538.

LIB 538 based in Rathidaung was shifted to the Paletwa border last week and is currently stationed near the junction of the India, Bangladesh, and Burmese borders.

According to a local source, Burmese authorities are constructing the border fences within 70 yards of the border demarcation line between Bangladesh and Burma, in violation of the distance set by international law.

Burmese Nasaka authorities informed Bangladesh authorities that the fences would be constructed 200 yards or more from the demarcation line, but Burmese authorities failed to keep this promise and commenced construction within 70 yards.

The Bangladesh border authority has officially opposed the construction of the fence within 70 yards of the border but Burmese authorities have ignored the complaint and continued with their construction work.

Burmese authorities are expected to finish construction of the border fence in contravention of international law without taking and care towards Bangladesh's objection, an analyst said.