Myanmar parcel bomb blasts kill five including ousted lawmaker: Reports
04 May, 2021
Blasts from at least one parcel bomb in Myanmar have killed five people, including an ousted lawmaker and three cops who had joined a civil disobedience movement opposing military rule, local media reported on Tuesday (May 3).
Because the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in a coup on Feb 1, Myanmar has seen an increasing number of small blasts in residential areas, and sometimes targeting government offices or military facilities.
The most recent blasts were in a village in the southern central part of Myanmar in western Bago and occurred at around 5pm on Monday (6.30pm Singapore time), the Myanmar Now news portal reported, citing a resident.
Three blasts were triggered when at least one parcel bomb exploded at a residence in the village, killing a regional lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy (NLD) party, in addition to the three police officers and a resident, the report said.
Another police officer mixed up in civil disobedience movement was also severely wounded after his arms were blown off by the explosion, the resident was cited as saying. He previously been hospitalised and was acquiring treatment, Myanmar Now said.
Khit Thit media also reported the blasts, citing an unnamed NLD official in the area.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports, and a military spokesman didn't answer a phone call seeking comment.
Violence has escalated because the coup, with hundreds reported killed by security forces, trying to quell pro-democracy protests in cities and rural towns. Ethnic militias also have backed opposition to the junta, and the military is fighting these groups on the fringes of Myanmar.
On Monday, the Kachin Independence Army, an ethnic rebel group, said it had shot down a military helicopter as fighting in the country's northern and eastern frontier regions intensified.
Domestic media also reported a junta-appointed local administrator had been stabbed to death in the key city, Yangon.
Police and the military didn't respond to requests for comment.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group says that security forces have killed at least 766 civilians because the coup. The junta disputes the figure and says that at least 24 members of security forces have already been killed during the protests.
Reuters is unable to verify casualties as a result of the curbs put on media by the junta. Many journalists happen to be among the thousands of folks who have been detained.
The junta said it had to seize power because its complaints of fraud within an election won by Aung San Suu Kyi's party last November weren't addressed by an election commission that deemed the vote fair.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, has been detained because the coup along with many other members of her party. The AAPP says more than 3,600 people are in detention for opposing the military.
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