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RANGOON — The Arakan Army has sought to reach out to the government of Bangladesh to prevent further skirmishes after fighting erupted between Bangladeshi border guards and the ethnic Arakanese rebels on Wednesday in western Burma.
Arakan Army (AA) deputy commander-in-chief Col Nyo Tun Aung, denied his group had encroached on a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camp, telling The Irrawaddy on Thursday they respected the latter’s right to patrol the border and hoped dialogue would help avert further clashes.
According to an official AA statement, the two-hour long clash began at around 10 am on Wednesday, with both sides opening fire near the Boro Modak area of Thanci in Bandaran District, near the shared Burma-Bangladesh border.
The Arakanese rebels claimed that at least one BGB soldier was killed.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday that one injured BGB soldier had been rushed to a military hospital in Chittagong. The report also stated that Bangladesh had boosted its troop presence along the border.
“We have already explained to the Bangladeshi government that the AA is not the enemy,” said Nyo Tun Aung. “All indigenous ethnic groups in Burma are fighting for self-determination, democracy and equal rights…. The Bangladeshi government should, on humanitarian grounds, [show] empathy…”
The AA has instructed its forces to avoid any fighting, except in self-defense, the group said.
“We are trying to send a letter to the Bangladesh Prime Minister and we would like to say sorry for the conflict and that we would like to prevent this happening again in the future,” Nyo Tun Aung said.
The recent fighting is thought to have sparked after BGB soldiers confiscated several horses, used to carry supplies, belonging to the AA’s political wing.
The Arakan Army is also based in Laiza, Kachin State, where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is headquartered, and has recently been engaged in fighting with government troops, along with the KIA and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army.
In March, fighting broke out between the AA and the Burma Army near Kyauktaw Township in what was believed to be the first time in a decade that ethnic Arakanese armed rebels in the region had clashed with government troops.
Arakan Army Calls for Calm After Bangladesh Border Clash
Fighting erupts between Bangladesh, Arakan Army
Lieutenant Colonel Nyo Tun Aung, deputy commander-in-chief of the AA, attributed the fighting to the theft of horses by the BGB, and called on the Bangladesh government to recognize that his group was not an enemy of their country.
“The BGB troops took 10 of our horses across the border and into their area. We were using the horses to carry food and medical supplies. We asked them to return the animals but they refused, and fighting started in the Barha Madok area of Thanchi,” Lt Col Nyo Tun Aung told The Myanmar Times.
Bangladesh media reported that Naik Zakir Hossain of the BGB was wounded in the fighting and was taken to Chittagong Military Hospital for treatment. Lt Col Nyo Tun Aung expressed regrets over the injury, and remained optimistic that a peaceful solution could be found.
“We will soon negotiate with the BGB on this issue calmly and reasonably. We would like to prevent this from happening again in the future,” he said.
However, the BGB did not seem to share the AA’s hopes for calm negotiations.
The Dhaka Tribune in Bangladesh quoted BGB director general Major General Aziz Ahmed as saying that the border guards and the Bangladesh army have launched a combined operation against the AA.
“We have contacted the Myanmar army through their embassy in Dhaka and requested them to seal their territory so that the separatists do not get the chance to escape,” he was quoted as saying.
The Bangladesh home affairs minister told the media that the operation, whose aim was to fully wipe out the Myanmar separatists in Bangladesh territory, would continue. The Bangladesh embassy in Yangon did not respond to requests from The Myanmar Times for comment.
U Zaw Htay, director of the President’s Office, said yesterday that the Bangladesh government had not informed Nay Pyi Taw about the problem, which he added was of no concern to the Myanmar government.
“The fighting happened with rebels, not with our military, so it has no relevance for us,” said U Zaw Htay.
Fighting erupts between Bangladesh, Arakan Army
@asad71
Arakan Army (AA) deputy commander-in-chief Col Nyo Tun Aung, denied his group had encroached on a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camp, telling The Irrawaddy on Thursday they respected the latter’s right to patrol the border and hoped dialogue would help avert further clashes.
According to an official AA statement, the two-hour long clash began at around 10 am on Wednesday, with both sides opening fire near the Boro Modak area of Thanci in Bandaran District, near the shared Burma-Bangladesh border.
The Arakanese rebels claimed that at least one BGB soldier was killed.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday that one injured BGB soldier had been rushed to a military hospital in Chittagong. The report also stated that Bangladesh had boosted its troop presence along the border.
“We have already explained to the Bangladeshi government that the AA is not the enemy,” said Nyo Tun Aung. “All indigenous ethnic groups in Burma are fighting for self-determination, democracy and equal rights…. The Bangladeshi government should, on humanitarian grounds, [show] empathy…”
The AA has instructed its forces to avoid any fighting, except in self-defense, the group said.
“We are trying to send a letter to the Bangladesh Prime Minister and we would like to say sorry for the conflict and that we would like to prevent this happening again in the future,” Nyo Tun Aung said.
The recent fighting is thought to have sparked after BGB soldiers confiscated several horses, used to carry supplies, belonging to the AA’s political wing.
The Arakan Army is also based in Laiza, Kachin State, where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is headquartered, and has recently been engaged in fighting with government troops, along with the KIA and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army.
In March, fighting broke out between the AA and the Burma Army near Kyauktaw Township in what was believed to be the first time in a decade that ethnic Arakanese armed rebels in the region had clashed with government troops.
Arakan Army Calls for Calm After Bangladesh Border Clash
Fighting erupts between Bangladesh, Arakan Army
Lieutenant Colonel Nyo Tun Aung, deputy commander-in-chief of the AA, attributed the fighting to the theft of horses by the BGB, and called on the Bangladesh government to recognize that his group was not an enemy of their country.
“The BGB troops took 10 of our horses across the border and into their area. We were using the horses to carry food and medical supplies. We asked them to return the animals but they refused, and fighting started in the Barha Madok area of Thanchi,” Lt Col Nyo Tun Aung told The Myanmar Times.
Bangladesh media reported that Naik Zakir Hossain of the BGB was wounded in the fighting and was taken to Chittagong Military Hospital for treatment. Lt Col Nyo Tun Aung expressed regrets over the injury, and remained optimistic that a peaceful solution could be found.
“We will soon negotiate with the BGB on this issue calmly and reasonably. We would like to prevent this from happening again in the future,” he said.
However, the BGB did not seem to share the AA’s hopes for calm negotiations.
The Dhaka Tribune in Bangladesh quoted BGB director general Major General Aziz Ahmed as saying that the border guards and the Bangladesh army have launched a combined operation against the AA.
“We have contacted the Myanmar army through their embassy in Dhaka and requested them to seal their territory so that the separatists do not get the chance to escape,” he was quoted as saying.
The Bangladesh home affairs minister told the media that the operation, whose aim was to fully wipe out the Myanmar separatists in Bangladesh territory, would continue. The Bangladesh embassy in Yangon did not respond to requests from The Myanmar Times for comment.
U Zaw Htay, director of the President’s Office, said yesterday that the Bangladesh government had not informed Nay Pyi Taw about the problem, which he added was of no concern to the Myanmar government.
“The fighting happened with rebels, not with our military, so it has no relevance for us,” said U Zaw Htay.
Fighting erupts between Bangladesh, Arakan Army
@asad71
