Burma 'recaptures' army bases

The Burmese Government says it has retaken all the army bases which were captured by ethnic Shan rebels last month during fighting near the Thai border.

In its first admission of casualties, a Burmese spokesman Lieutenant Colonel San Pwint said 50 soldiers had been killed in the two weeks of fighting.

He estimated that 100 rebels had been killed and said that operations against the Shan rebels were still continuing in Kya Htina and Loi Kham near Tachilek.

There is no independent confirmation of these figures.

The fighting has become a major source of tension between Burma and Thailand. Burma accuses Thailand of supporting the rebels - a charge which it denies.

Burma has closed its border checkpoints with Thailand, banned official Thai delegations from visiting and launched a tirade of anti-Thai vitriol in its state-run media.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service