Al-zakir
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2/2/2009
Dhaka: An armed clash took place on 30 January between the Bangladesh army and an insurgent group from Burma in Ruma Township in Bandarban District of Bangladesh's southern Chittagong Hill Tract, according to a local press report.
The report said that the battle took place with the Bangladesh army when a group of insurgents from Burma entered Bangladesh territory on the Bangladesh-India-Burma border area.
The fight lasted for one hour but no injuries were reported from either side. The Bangladesh army arrested two people from the battlefield.
The report said that Bangladesh officials suspect the arrested men to be members of the Democratic Party of Arakan that allegedly kidnapped eight indigenous Bangladeshis on 24 January.
Among the eight kidnapped, four have already been released.
The Bangladesh army launched a commando operation to rescue the kidnapped victims in a remote area of the Chittagong Hill Tract near the Burmese border.
According to an army report, a squad of 30 commandos and over 200 members of the army, Bangladesh rifles, and police are taking part in the operations that started on Thursday afternoon.
Democratic Party of Arakan officials have denied reports that they were involved in the battle, saying that DPA members are not in the area.
Bo Lin Thin, a spokesperson of the armed wing of the DPA based in Mizoram, India, told Narinjara over the phone that DPA has a policy not to kidnap local Bangladeshis for ransom, and suggests that another armed group has committed the kidnapping and is falsely using the DPA name.
Bandarban District of Bangladesh shares borders with India and Burma where several insurgent groups are active. The groups are equipped with heavy arms and weapons such as rocket launchers, mortars, anti-aircraft artillery, and powerful explosives, sources say.
Burma/Myanmar-Related News Focusing in Arakan
