A Burmese official in northern Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township has denied planting landmines along the border with Bangladesh, reports the Narinjara news agency. In a letter received by Narinjara, the unnamed official rejected a claim made by Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) that Burmese government agencies were involved in the planting of 39 landmines discovered by the BGB in late December. According to the letter, the planting of mines “is not related to our border security forces.” Instead, it suggested that the landmines, which were apparently handmade, were the “handiwork of some miscreants who wanted to destroy our goodwill to a neighboring nation.”