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| Southeast Asia |
| Mystery deepens in Rangoon over the bombings |
| 2005-05-22 |
| This looks like it's clipped from another story, the "he" in question is a diplomat ... He said the KNU, KNPP, SSA-S and the NCGUB have no capability to bomb Rangoon nor would they get any immediate benefit from it, though some of their members who hate the regime or need money have actually joined the extremists there. According to the diplomat, the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), which announced a few months ago the plan for a nation-wide uprising in Burma called "Demo-2006", can be left out because their Chinese friends wouldn't allow them to commit such an atrocity against innocent citizens or a Thai target. Moreover, a senior cadre of the CPB used to denounce attacks by the VBSW or any other group against civilian targets, branding them "acts of terrorism." As for the al-Qaeda or any other Middle Eastern terrorist group, those can be eliminated as well, despite a recent report that some Burmese Muslims want to ``hit'' Thai interests in Burma to get revenge for the ``oppressed'' Muslims in southern Thailand. The diplomat concluded that there was also a possibility that a new radical opposition group was responsible. This view was shared by Pascale Trouillaud, who wrote in an article for Agence France Presse on May 8: "Among the possible explanations proposed by analysts were that the blasts were set by radical ethnic fighters from the border areas." An article posted on Irrawaddy's website a few days later said: "One theory being advanced is that a new radical group has arisen, with no ties to mainstream movements.'' ``This would be an entirely new threat,'' said one veteran journalist in Rangoon. ``Such a new group could have found support and expertise outside Burma and might have planted the bombs as a message to the regime." One opposition leader also claimed that a new group "like" the VBSW might be responsible for the bombings in Rangoon and in other parts of Burma. According to several exile sources, a new top-secret group consisting of several anti-SPDC groups' members has quietly established cells inside Burma and is ready to strike anywhere and at anytime. "It is an issue that nobody really wants to talk about, and it will be always denied because of a fear of retaliation from their handlers," said one of the sources. In his first public comment on the probe into the May 7 bombings, SPDC Information Minister Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan said on May 16 that it is crystal clear that the terrorists who detonated three time bombs in three busy shopping places in Yangon received ``training on explosives conducted with foreigner experts at a place in a neighboring country by a world famous organisation of a certain big nation.'' An exile leader said that he was obviously referring to Thailand, the Central Intelligence Agency and the United States. He added: "From what Kyaw Hsan said and what I know, it is clear to me that the SPDC intelligence has been terminated after Khin Nyunt's dismissal, when the SPDC abolished his Military Intelligence network and replaced it with the Office of Military Affairs Security." Kyaw Hsan also claimed that the explosive known as RDX (Research Department Explosives) was found at the blast sites. "RDX cannot be produced in Myanmar. It is produced in `big power' nations. RDX is the ideal cordite produced in such nations and used by their armies. Moreover, RDX is found to be used in a neighboring country. RDX is not easily available. It can be obtained only through the special assistance of armed organisations." However, a source familiar with military issues in Burma said that if RDX was really used in the Rangoon blasts, then the culprits were most likely ``from within the military, because Burma has been importing RDX from China to manufacture explosives for its military.'' A senior editor of a Rangoon-based newspaper shared his insights on the present situation inside Burma on the condition of anonymity:``Whether it is the SPDC themselves, Khin Nyunt's people or extremists from the ranks of the opposition armed or ceasefire groups_all have a strong motive and all have the ability to access war materials to commit the bombings we have witnessed in our country in the past few weeks. ``Therefore, none of these groups should be exempt from a list of potential suspects, and until the wrongdoers are addressed and compelling evidence against them presented, we can only speculate about who are the terrorists. ``I have a message to them, whoever they are: To kill, maim or injure innocent civilians or to destroy their property won't do any good to anyone, but will only prolong the transformation of Burma to democracy and prosperity.'' According to the senior editor , the atmosphere in the capital is quite tense; many shops and businesses are still closed and people are staying at home. People in other parts of the country are also affected, as there have also been bombs outside Rangoon in past weeks. One such incident widely reported in the international press was the explosion of a time bomb hidden in a polythene bag at the busy Zaygyo Market in Burma's second largest city, Mandalay, shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26. Two women were killed and 15 others, also mostly women, were injured. The state-run media said rebels carried out the attack, but the reports didn't name which group. And in the latest attack, a bomb exploded in the early morning hours of May 12 at a bridge near Minhla Township, Magwe Division, in central Burma. No casualties were reported and it is still not known what kind of bomb was used or whether it was connected to the blasts in Mandalay and Rangoon. "No wonder people are scared and there are rumours spreading predicting more attacks," concluded the senior editor. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |