RANGOON — Two separate explosions rocked Shan State’s Mong Hsu Township on Tuesday, injuring two men and causing panic throughout the town.
The first explosion was heard around 8am and resulted in two injuries. The second blast was reported just over an hour later at a nearby location, without any casualties reported. Both explosions, believed to be caused by small bombs, went off in Ward 4 along the Mong Hsu-Tangyan road.
The two injured men have been identified as Ai Shwe, 25, and Ai Bao, 19, also known as Maung Nu. Ai Shwe suffered a head injury while Ai Bao sustained damage to his face, right leg and abdomen, according to an official from the township office of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD).
“The two were sent to Kho Lam Hospital,” said Nan Kaung Kham of the SNLD, adding that the blast was the third to strike the town. “Mong Hsu locals are now so afraid that the sound of a door closing might scare them if it is loud.”
On Oct. 21, an explosion in the same ward killed a 70-year-old woman while injuring two novice monks and another woman. Last week, two men threw a grenade at a house and another was found undetonated near the same site, according to Mong Hsu Police Lt. Hsan Lwin.
The officer confirmed Tuesday’s explosions, adding that police “are still investigating the case to find out who is responsible.”
Conflict has continued between the Burma Army and the Shan State Army-North in Kyethi and Monghsu townships since Oct. 6. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that 6,000 people have fled their homes in the ensuing six weeks, while local civil society groups estimate the number could be as high as 10,000.
Nang Kaung Kham of the SNLD said the town is not near any camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), which are located further east.
