Myanmar on high alert over mysterious attacks
Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A series of minor explosions and attacks hit Myanmar over the past week, renewing concerns over the country's security. The Philippines, which is due to send athletes and officials to the December 11-22 Southeast Asian Games in Naypyidaw, Yangon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung beach, is especially concerned, Philippine Sports Commission Chief Richie Garcia said in a statement today.
Three bombs exploded overnight Wednesday, police said, leaving a municipal worker person dead and six wounded in Namkham, on the northern tip of Shan State, not far the border with China.
Minor bomb blasts also struck Yangon, including one at the luxury Traders Hotel on Monday that injured an American woman. Washington, which along with the European Union) has been working to build bridges with the Myanmar government after decades of isolation and sanctions, denounced such "acts of terror".
Altogether, at least nine bombs were set off in the past week, with low-intensity explosions in Yangon, Mandalay, Taungoo, Sagaing as well as Namkhan, leaving three people dead and ten wounded, official sources said.
So far, police have arrested four people, including possibly Saw Myint Lwin, a member of the Karen ethnic minority. Unofficial sources pointed to the Karen National Union (KNU), a rebel group that signed a peace agreement with the central government last year, for possible involvement.
However, there has been no confirmation nor any reliable information on who might be behind the attacks or their reasons. In addition, KNU leaders have denied that their group was in any way involved in the attacks.
According to some Burma experts, the recent spate in violent incidents might be part of an attempt to destabilise the country, as evidenced by the fact that tourist sites were targeted at a time when the number of foreign visitors was rising. Now, travel agencies are reporting a rise in cancellations and a sudden drop in demand because of the attacks.
In view of the situation, many Western governments have issued a travel warning, urging their nationals to exert maximum caution if they wish to visit Myanmar.
Low intensity attacks were frequent under Burma's military dictatorship, which ruled without interruption from 1962 to 2011. However, over the last two years under President Thein Sein, a process of reform has begun. Indeed, since opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to parliament the number of such incidents has declined.
In the coming months, Myanmar will be the host of several high-level international events, including the Southeast Asian Games in December this year as well as the ASEAN summit in 2014, which will see the ten countries from Southeast Asia come to Naypyidaw for the first time.
.png)
