Two police officers were injured when a series of bomb blasts rocked Shan State capital Taunggyi on Saturday evening.
Khin Moe Moe, chairperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Taunggyi, said three bombs went off consecutively in the town just after 10pm on 4 October.
“Between five to ten minutes past 10pm, a bomb exploded on Bogyoke Aung San Road at the gates of the 202nd Light Infantry Battalion base. Then a second bomb went off immediately afterwards at the traffic police office on the opposite side of the road. A traffic warden and a police recruit were hit by shrapnel and sustained injuries on their arms and legs,” he said.
“Then a third bomb – a more powerful one – exploded outside the gates of the [Burma Army’s] East Regional Military Command headquarters.”
The two injuries were incurred as a result of the second blast. No casualties were reported from the first and third explosions.
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The NLD official in Taungyi said that two more bombs, which did not explode, were found in the vicinity of the regional command base.
The Taunggyi police station confirmed to DVB that the explosions took place but declined to provide further details.
The blasts caused panic among local residents in Taunggyi, many of whom were preparing for the annual Balloon Festival or Festival of Lights (known in Burmese as Tazaungdaing). The festival is the largest event on the tourist calendar and is scheduled to be held on 6 November this year.
Locals reported a high security presence in Taunggyi on Sunday as police and army units conducted searches.
The incident occurred just days after a clash in Shan State’s Kaese Township where the SSA-North claims that government forces launched an unprovoked attack on them.
Reporting by Shwe Aung
