DHAKA -- Myanmar and Bangladesh amassed thousands of troops along their common border Friday after a border clash over the construction of a disputed dam on the Naaf River shared by both countries.

Bangladeshi commanders of the paramilitary border security force said Myanmar was deploying heavy weapons after Bangladesh opposed the construction of the dam being built by the Myanmar authorities.

Troops of Burma's (Myanmar's) Nasaka force dug trenches and moved in artillery guns and other military equipment along the border near the Bangladeshi frontier town of Teknaf.

"We have taken our own measures against any move by the Burmese (Myanmar) troops," said Rafiqur Rahman, a commander of the Bangladesh Border Force.

Local officials in Teknaf, about 400 kilometers southeast of the capital Dhaka, said all Bangladeshi troops in the region had been put on a state of alert.

Myanmar and Bangladeshi border troops clashed last Monday exchanging gunfire amidst mounting tension over Myanmar's bid to build a dam on the Naaf River which is opposed by Bangladesh.

After a flag meeting between the commanders of the two countries the Burmese authorities suspended construction of the dam. But Bangladesh claimed Myanmar had been bringing in reinforcements and heavy guns to the border.

(DPA)