Bangladesh detains 10 from Myanmar

Dhaka (Reuters) - Bangladesh security forces have detained 10 Myanmar nationals for suspected involvement with kidnapping of two Bangladeshi staff working for a Danish development agency (Danida), police said on Saturday.

Abductors released one of the staff on Thursday and some 500 troops with sniffer dogs were scouring dense forests on Saturday to rescue the other. Mohammad Hanif, a driver for Danida, was released at a remote forest near Thanchi township in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) adjacent to Tripura and Mizoram, eastern states of India and Arakah (Rakhaine) state in western Myanmar.

Tribal insurgents seeking autonomy for the 14,000 sq km CHT fought a guerrilla war against Bangladeshi authorities from 1973 until 1997, when a peace deal was struck.

The majority of the 3,000-strong Shanti Bahini rebels surrendered their arms, but a dissident group opposed to the deal melted into the jungle and turned to criminal activities, including kidnappings.