A man arrested with explosives in eastern Burma last week has confessed to being a former intelligence agent, according to lawyer Aye Myint who spoke to officers involved in the arrest.

It follows a separate arrest on 14 October of Aung Myo Thu, a serving corporal in the Burmese army, who is accused of being behind a bomb blast in Pegu on 28 September. Aung Myo Thu allegedly tipped off police about former intelligence agent Min Min Tun, who was detained on 16 October.

Police and Military Affairs Security (MAS) personnel apprehended Min Min Tun at a teashop in Zaingganaing ward in Pegu town.  According to Aye Myint, who runs the Guiding Star legal advocacy group, “[the suspect] confessed that he was an MAS agent from the Rangoon region”, and is now in custody.

He aid that police had lain in wait for Min Min Tun following the tip-off, which according to police records came about after the detained Aung Myo Thu was asked to phone Min Min Tun to arrange a meeting.

Aye Myint had been helping the opposition National Democratic Force (NDF) party campaign for elections in the Pegu region when the incident took place. An agent from MAS, Burma’s intelligence department, reportedly spoke with Aye Myint.

An eye-witness to the arrest said that Min Min Tun had arrived at the scene on a motorbike. “Police handcuffed him and immediately took him away in a car,” he added.

Police in Pegu refused to comment on the arrest when contacted by DVB. But a source close to Pegu authorities said that police records also link Corporal Aung Myo Thu, who is stationed at the Indaing Ordnance Factory in Rangoon, to the 28 September blast. He allegedly claimed that he had obtained the explosives from Min Min Tun.

Three other people have been arrested in relation to the discovery of explosives in Sinchekwin cemetery in Pegu. The investigation is ongoing.