The security forces have defused a series of bombs in Yangon and other areas of the country. For the government and official media it is "political opportunists" seeking to block the "farcical" elections of November 7. In Pegu the army kills two young people and "buys" the silence of the families.

Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Burmese regime is blaming rebel groups and small opposition groups of  - according to the military - fuelling tensions ahead of general elections on November 7, the first in South-East Asian country in20 years. The security forces have defused a series of bombs in Yangon and in an industrial area east of the city. Meanwhile the authorities in Pegu have ordered the families of two young people killed in a "drunken brawl" involving police officers, not to speak with the media to silence the story.

Over the weekend the Burmese police said they found a bomb near a popular market for tourists in Yangon. Previously, some bombs were placed around an electricity pylon in Thaton, about 150 km east of Yangon. The regime has blamed "rebels" and accused them of wanting to obstruct the path toward the "farcical" elections of November 7. The The New Light of Myanmar newspaper close to the military regime, also published the story claiming "insurgent destructive elements and political opportunists" of trying to "block future multi-party elections."

In reality, unrest has spread to other parts of Myanmar. In Pegu, the authorities have imposed silence on the relatives of two young men hacked to death by army officers. The incident occurred on September 4 and, after two days, the bodies were hastily cremated. The victims are Paing Soe Zaw, 18, and Aung Thu Hein, 23. The army claims it was a "drunken brawl" and have also tried to "appease" the anger of families, offering them a sum of money as "compensation" to close the case.

In the past the military dictatorship has often used the excuse of  rebel groups and the internal resistance, accusing them of being responsible for attacks and violence, to increase its own repression. In April this year, during the Burmese New Year (Water Festival), a series of bombs devastated two celebration areas causing deaths and injuries. Policy experts in Burma, after the massacre that left more than 30 dead and 75 wounded, explained that the regime may have carried out the attack to "fuel a strategy of tension" and suppress the opposition ahead of the vote. In the following months they implemented an electoral law which, in effect, eliminated the National League for Democracy and Aung San Suu Kyi from the poll.

• Myanmar
• burma
• election
• violence
• bombs
• regime
• dictatorship
• terror