Global Courant 2023-04-13 18:40:21
YANGON – Four people were killed in eastern Myanmar on Thursday after a series of car bombs exploded near a pagoda where a crowd had gathered to celebrate the start of the Buddhist new year, a rescue worker and a security source said.
The country has been in turmoil since a coup d’état in 2021, with the army and anti-junta fighters regularly clashing.
The blast comes just days after an estimated 130 people were killed in a junta airstrike in central Myanmar.
The Thingyan Festival, usually a joyful celebration involving public water fights, has become politicized since the coup, with pro-democracy advocates calling for boycotts of junta-backed events.
Shortly before noon, explosions destroyed at least three vehicles near Yan Taing Aung Pagoda in Lashio township in eastern Shan state, local media reported.
“Four men were killed on the spot in the blast area,” said a Lashio rescue worker who evacuated the dead and injured from the site. He said 12 people were injured and two were in a hospital in serious condition.
A security source also confirmed the death toll and said AFP authorities had searched the area for more explosives. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosions.
Streets in the commercial capital of Yangon were empty as residents stayed home after the junta’s devastating airstrike in the village of Pazi Gyi in central Myanmar earlier this week.
While the official death toll remains unconfirmed, media reports and a witness involved in the recovery of bodies said at least 130 people were killed.
The attack sparked international outrage and condemnation.
“I feel consumed with grief, this is why I didn’t participate in the water festival,” a woman, who declined to give her name, told AFP from Yangon.
“Most people stay home to pay respects to those who lost their lives,” said 30-year-old Cho Cho, who asked to use a pseudonym to protect her safety.
The Yangon resident said they had also heard of attacks by anti-coup fighters. “Staying at home is better for our safety,” she said.
Several hundred people in traditional dress came to the town hall and a nearby park to dance, release balloons and walk through pavilions that sprayed water.
More than 3,200 civilians have died in Myanmar since the military seized power in February 2021, according to a local monitoring group. AFP
