Yangon embarrassed Myanmar’s junta leader with at least a dozen explosions and casualties over the weekend, mocking the military chief, who was in town at the time to urge authorities to implement serious security measures.
A naval base, police stations, a court and other regime targets were attacked with remote-controlled bombs and other explosives in at least eight townships in Myanmar’s former capital.
A few hours before his push, two explosions rattled a naval base in Thaketa Township on Sunday morning. A bomb was spotted in front of the base and went off before it could be deactivated. Another one exploded a few minutes later, injuring some soldiers, who were rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
The Burma Final Revolution Armed Forces guerrilla group claimed responsibility and said at least three junta troops were severely wounded.
Blasts also targeted a ward administrator’s office in Dawbon and police stations in Thingangyun and Dala. Other blasts were reported in Bahan, North Dagon Township, and at a courthouse in Thanlyin Township on the same day.
The explosions came when regime leader Min Aung Hlaing was in Yangon. On Sunday, he told cabinet members of the Yangon Regional Government that they should find ways to implement preventive measures against attacks so as “not to cause further similar cases of loss of life.”
He added, “Officials need to supervise the security forces so they do not carry out their duties carelessly,” he said.
Explosions were also reported in at least two locations in Yangon on Saturday. The weekend attacks were deliberately timed to coincide with the junta leader’s presence in Yangon; the National Special Task Force, a guerrilla-style civilian resistance force active in the former capital, warned city residents not to go out on Sunday if not necessary.
Yangon has been an anti-regime hotspot since late March, having seen a series of attacks—sometimes fatal—on regime targets. The attacks have included hurling explosives into military convoys and spraying bullets at soldiers standing guard, and shooting regime-appointed officials dead at pointblank range.
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