The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army's (DKBA) 901 Battalion has been stationed opposite the Three Pagoda Pass checkpoint in Kanchanaburi's Sangkhla Buri district since Friday evening.

"The two police are being detained in the DKBA's Valley camp and they are safe and healthy," camp commander Colonel Na Kaw Muay  told reporters.

The capture was revenge for the assistance Thai border police gave to its Christian rival Karen National Union (KNU) when it launched attacks recently, he said.

With assistance from Thailand, the KNU has laid landmines in DKBA areas and explosions had hurt its people, he added.

"I want to make an agreement with the Thai authorities to settle the case," he said, adding that the officers would be released after such an agreement. Thai authorities in Kanchanaburi closed the checkpoint at the Three Pagoda Pass on Saturday and have put pressure on the Karen to release the officers.

An official at the 134th Border Police Company in Sangkhla Buri said Thai police had nothing to do with the KNU or the conflict between ethnic minorities in Burma.

The Karen were angry because Thai police apprehended its drug traffickers and confiscated more than 5,000 tablets of methamphetamine recently, he said.

Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said a misunderstanding might have led to the abduction. The authorities would negotiate to free them, he said.

"It is not a big deal as we have good relations with all factions in Burma," he told reporters.