Last night two bombs exploded in Three Pagodas Pass Town. According to a source in the Burmese border town, the army announced that the blasts occurre

2009 June 29
tags: bomb, Burma, Myanmar, Thailand, Three Pagodas Pass Town
by peacerunning
Two bombs blast Thai-Burma border town, army security increasesMon 29 Jun 2009, Kon Hadae,IMNALast night two bombs exploded in Three Pagodas Pass Town. According to a source in the Burmese border town, the army announced that the blasts occurred at 8:20 and 8:23 p.m., with a third bomb discovered that did not detonate.
The first bomb exploded in the compound of the Special Branch of Police office. Just three minutes later the second exploded in front of the Burma army Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No.32.
“The SPDC could not find out who blasted the bombs and they are still investigating to find out which group did that,” said a member of the New Mon State Party (NMSP).
According to a Three Pagodas Pass Town resident, the SPDC authorities arrested two men suspected to be members of the Karen National Union (KNU), the main political party of the Karen people. These suspects worked in a furniture shop just outside of the LIB No. 32.
Another resident explained how the bomb blasts have created fear in Three Pagodas Pass Town: “because of the bomb explosions last night, the large shop owners…[they] close their shops very early, they are afraid it is going to happen again.”
Residents told IMNA that the security was initially increased at road checkpoints, and tonight it was ratcheted up inside the town; SPDC troops and police officers have begun patrolling in motorbikes and trucks.
This is the second time in just over a month that bomb blasts in Mon State raised security levels, the first being the explosion of three bombs on May 27th in Moulmein, the Mon State capital city.
IMNA received reports that some residents believe the SPDC authorities may have detonated the bombs themselves, whether to drum up negative opinions of ethnic political parties and their connected armies, or to justify increases in militarization and future trade-related taxes.IMNA