Myanmar’s capital city Naypyidaw – seat of the junta leadership – has been rattled by explosions for three days in a row.
On Tuesday, attackers threw a grenade at the home of Mya Nyein, residents of his densely populated Shwe Kyar Pin neighborhood told RFA. Nobody was injured.
Mya Nyein was the National Assembly vice speaker in Myanmar’s first democratically elected government under then-president Thein Sein.
He is now a consultant to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.
The Sittaung Urban Guerrilla Group – Nay Pyi Taw (Naypyidaw) on Friday claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Mya Nyein was helping the junta behind the scenes.
On Wednesday, a bomb exploded at the Mandalay Paradise restaurant on Naypyidaw’s bustling Ayeyarwady Road. Again no one was injured despite it being the capital’s busiest dining street.
“The loud explosion at the intersection of Mandalay Paradise and Chai Ywa road could be heard from far away,” said a local who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals, adding that the blast damaged nearby buildings.
On Thursday evening bombers struck again, setting off a blast at a checkpoint staffed by junta troops and police officers in Naypyidaw’s central Za Bu Thi Ri township.
It’s not clear which group is responsible for the bombings on Wednesday and Thursday. The junta has not released a statement on any of the attacks.
“Nowadays, bomb blasts are frequent,” said the local who heard Wednesday’s explosion.
On Feb. 4, a local administrator’s home in the Shwe Kyar Pin neighborhood was hit by a bomb, residents said.
On February 22, a local People’s Defense Force attacked the No. 2030 Air Defense Force unit in Naypyidaw with long-range heavy artillery.
Residents said the junta has stepped up security in areas of the capital where junta members and military units are based.
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