Police officer injured in Naypyitaw blast as spate of homemade bomb attacks continues

Soldiers also found and detonated two bombs outside a new military-owned hospital in Yangon

Published on May 5, 2021

Residents in the capital Naypyitaw rally against the military coup on February 8 (Myanmar Now)

A police officer was injured in a bomb explosion in Naypyitaw’s Pyinmana Township on Wednesday, residents told Myanmar Now, just hours after two bombs went off in Yangon the night before.

The explosion in the capital happened at around 8am near the building of a military recruitment office in the No. 2 Paunglaung ward. A police vehicle parked near the office was slightly damaged by the blast, a Pyinmana local said.

The police officer injured his head, the local said.

“A policeman was seen with blood on his face and bandages,” he said.

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Shortly after the explosion, at least 12 vehicles full of soldiers and police arrived and searched in the area, he added.

Two protesters were killed in Pyinmana during crackdowns on anti-regime demonstrations following the February 1 coup.

On Tuesday night there were two explosions outside the military’s newly-opened Moe Kaung Treasure Maternal and Child Hospital in Yangon, though no one was injured.

Local residents told The Irrawaddy that regime forces set off the bombs in controlled explosions after finding them. No one has claimed responsibility for planting the explosives.

Military chief Min Aung Hlaing attended the opening ceremony of the hospital on Sunday.

There have been numerous explosions of homemade bombs reported across the country recently, including others in Yangon. The attacks have targeted government offices, police stations and ward administration offices.

Bombs went off near three government buildings in Magway Region’s Myaing Township early on Tuesday morning, but there were no reported injuries.

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Junta forces torch Sagaing village after PDF raid on police station

The action, which followed three days of fighting, was seen as a sign of the junta’s desperation to gain control over the restive region

Myanmar Now

Published on Sep 13, 2021

Residents of Kyauk Yit are seen on September 13, a day after their village was burned down by regime forces (Supplied)

Regime forces burned down an entire village in Sagaing Region’s Myaung Township on Sunday following three days of clashes triggered by a raid on a police station, according to local sources.

Residents of Kyauk Yit, located in the southern part of the township, said that soldiers shot at anyone who attempted to put out fires set by troops occupying the village of roughly 300 inhabitants.

Clashes broke out throughout the area last week after the National Unity Government (NUG) announced on September 7 that the people’s resistance war against Myanmar’s ruling military junta had begun.

Most of the people living in Kyauk Yit had fled as the regime’s forces moved to take control of local villages over the weekend. Ten elderly residents who didn’t manage to escape right away were reported safe on Monday, according to a Kyauk Yit resident who spoke to Myanmar Now.

“Because we had already fled, we didn’t know they had started to burn down the village until we saw the smoke. They also kept firing gunshots,” said the resident.

“No one dared to go back for those left behind because we knew we would be ambushed if we did. They got out by literally crawling out of their homes on their own,” she added.

Last week’s clashes began after a local People’s Defence Force (PDF) carried out a raid on a police station on September 8 in response to the NUG’s declaration of war on the regime.

PDF fighters ‘kill 22’ soldiers and capture three police officers during clashes in central Myanmar

Fighting broke out in southern Myaung Township and neighbouring Yesagyo Township in Magwe Region and lasted for three days in the area around the villages of Shwe Hlan, Myit Son, and Kyauk Yit, which are all located on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River.

A local PDF member said the fire in Kyauk Yit started at around 9:30pm on Sunday and continued for nearly two hours.

“We heard them say they were going to burn down the village, but we didn’t think they would actually do it,” he said, calling the action a sign of the regime’s desperation to bring the country under its control.

Most of the village’s displaced inhabitants have yet to return to their homes to assess the extent of the damage, according to the woman who spoke to Myanmar Now.

“It was really ugly this time. They didn’t have to take it this far. I will never forget this. The PDFs never lay a finger on civilians. It’s just the military that’s been terrorizing our village,” she said.

Three police personnel, including the station chief, were captured during the September 8 raid, while five PDF members were seized during the subsequent clashes.

Local PDF members claim that at least 20 junta soldiers were killed during the three days of fighting. However, this information has not been confirmed.

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Survivors of raid that left two people dead face up to life in prison

Three of the accused sustained serious injuries after falling from a three-storey apartment building while trying to escape

Myanmar Now

Published on Sep 13, 2021

Five people plunged three storeys to the ground while attempting to flee during a raid by regime forces on August 10

Seven people who were arrested during a raid on an apartment on Yangon’s 44th Street last month have been charged under the Explosive Substances Act, Myanmar Now has learned.

A district court heard the cases against the seven suspects on Friday, according to Tin Zaw, the father of Ye Min Oo, who is one of the accused.

Ye Min Oo, Min Thitsar Maung, Wai Yan Htet, Thiha Kaung Sett, and Phyo Wai Aung have all been charged with making and possessing explosives with the intent to endanger life and face up to life in prison if found guilty.

A sixth suspect, Poe Kyawt Kyawt Khant, was charged with unlawful possession of an explosive, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

A taxi driver hired by the group, has been charged as an accessory under Section 6 of the colonial-era law.

Five of the suspects are currently being held in Insein Prison, while two are being treated for injuries resulting from the dramatic raid, which left two people dead after they plunged three storeys to the ground as they attempted to escape.

Wai Wai Myint and Wai Zaw Phyoe both died instantly after the fall, while Ye Min Oo, Min Thitsar Maung, and Wai Yan Htet survived with serious injuries.

Tin Zaw said that his son Ye Min Oo, who appeared in person at the hearing on Friday, did not appear to have fully recovered from his injuries.

“I’m just worried about his leg. We saw him walk with a limp on his left leg. He also told us that his spine hurts when he coughs,” he said.

“We got to meet him briefly. We tried to encourage him as he went up the stairs at the court,” he added.

Min Thitsar Maung and Wai Yan Htet, who are still undergoing treatment at the 1,000-bed military hospital in Mingaladon Township, made their court appearances through video link, according to Tin Zaw.

The junta claims that during the raid on the apartment, its forces discovered 16 explosive devices, including handmade bombs and firecrackers.

Kaung Min Thant, the only members of the group to escape, told Myanmar Now that the regime forces assaulted the survivors of the fall before taking them into custody.

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Junta raids office of charity in Hlegu following killing of military informant

Soldiers accused the Lu Nge Metta charity of links to resistance fighters and claimed they found 12 bullets in the group’s office

Myanmar Now

Published on Sep 13, 2021

The Lu Nge Metta association’s office after it was raided by soldiers last week (Supplied)

Junta forces arrested five people after raiding the office of a local social relief group in Hlegu, Yangon Region, on Friday, a staffer from the charity told Myanmar Now.

Around 50 soldiers and plain clothed personnel took part in a late-night raid of the Lu Nge Metta association’s office.

Two of the group’s volunteers were then arrested at their homes, along with the wife of one of those who was detained and the brother and father of another volunteer who evaded arrest.

“I think they got their addresses during the raid on the office,” said Kyaw Min Thu, who works as an officer at the charity.

The arrests appear to have been related to the assassination of an alleged military informant in Hlegu’s Zayatkwin neighbourhood earlier the same day.

Junta forces claimed they found 12 bullets at the office and accused the charity of having ties to the People’s Defence Force, Kyaw Min Thu said.

On Saturday evening soldiers tried to arrest another worker from the charity named Aye Min Aung at his home, but detained his brother and father in his place when they were unable to find him.

The Lu Nge Metta association has been active for six years. It helps transport patients to hospital when they can’t afford travel costs and has played a key role in the township’s Covid-19 response.

Last Wednesday, junta forces raided the office of Myoma Metta, another charity in Hlegu, arresting four people and confiscating two ambulances.