YANGON: Three bombs exploded in eastern Myanmar leaving one person dead, police said yesterday, the latest in a series of explosions that the United States denounced as “acts of terror”.
Myanmar state media also branded the bombings a “terrorist act” and said they appeared to be targeted at tourist spots as the country gears up for an influx of foreign visitors.
The three bombs exploded overnight Wednesday-yesterday in Namkham in restive northeastern Shan state near the Chinese border, police said.
A municipal worker was killed, a police official said.
The region has been shaken in recent years by fighting between the military and ethnic minority rebels.
Western governments have warned travellers to exercise extreme caution in Myanmar after the series of minor bomb blasts, including one at the luxury Traders Hotel in Yangon late on Monday that injured an American woman.
The United States condemned the attacks, urging the authorities to “proceed with full respect for due process under the rule of law”.
“Acts of violence like those perpetrated and attempted over the past week have no place in civilised society, and we are confident in the people of this country to confront such acts of terror with strength, determination and a continued commitment to national peace, development, and reconciliation,” the US embassy in Yangon said in a statement.
Myanmar state media said the attacks came at a “critical juncture” for the nation, with the government seeking a nationwide ceasefire deal with all ethnic armed groups.
No group has claimed responsibility for the string of blasts, which bore some similarity to explosions seen under the former junta, which usually blamed armed exile groups or ethnic rebels.
AFP
