Burmese, Bangladesh officials meet to defuse tensions.
Officials from Burma and Bangladesh met in Maungdaw, in Burma’s northern Arakan State, on Wednesday in a bid to defuse border tensions, according to sources in the region.
The sources said the two sides, in their second meeting this month, discussed illegal drug and arms trading across the border, troop movements, the Rohingya issue—and the controversial fence Burma is building along sections of the frontier. Bangladesh says the fence violates international law.
As officials from both sides met, tensions continued to rise, with a number of Bangladeshi fishermen alleging that Burmese troops confiscated their fishing boats on Monday while they were fishing in Bangladesh waters.
Bangladesh and Burmese warships are patrolling disputed waters of the Bay of Bengal and troop buildups by both sides have been reported in the border region.
