Three explosions near police residence in Monywa

DVB ( August 5,2003 )

It has been learned that bombs exploded in Monywa this morning about 0900 [0230 gmt]. The three successive explosions took place near the residence of the district police commissioner located on the riverfront. Although there were no casualty and property damage, the fact that the explosions occurred near the residence of the district police commissioner has bewildered the people.

Furthermore, since Monywa has never experienced any bomb blast in the past, today's explosions have aroused the interest of many residents. Local people said responsible authorities have cordoned off the bomb explosion site and have marked the area as a restricted zone. There have been frequent bombings in Burma during the earlier part of this year.

The SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) held a press conference and issued a statement that 12 saboteurs related to the spate of bombings were detained on 17 July. But most people believe the bombings were the handiwork of the SPDC attempting to deceive the general public. This is what a Monywa resident had to say.

A Monywa resident : It is nothing extraordinary. But we cannot definitely say who is responsible. They could easily do it themselves. That is what most people are thinking. It is a mere attempt to confuse and deceive the people. Nowadays, these things have become so common in Burma. They plant the bombs themselves and then try to blame others. The explosions occurred in the police compound and we have never heard of such bombings before, so you can just imagine. We think, they did it themselves and then tried to point the finger at others. (BBC Monitoring Service)