Bomb Blast in Burma

by Ma Nguyen Tong

28-3-2003

A bomb blast in the Burmese capital Rangoon killed one person and injured at least three others. The blast happened in front of the Telecommunications Office, and witnesses said it had been caused by a bomb. The incident occurred as several thousand troops were in the city to commemorate Armed Forces Day, a national holiday in Burma.

March 27, 2003 marked the 58^th anniversary of the start of a military campaign for national independence from Japan. Bomb blasts are unusual in Burma although Armed Forces Day is always a time of heightened security.

One report said the explosion occurred as cleaners removed rubbish from in front of the office. Witnesses also said another bomb was discovered nearby.

No one claimed responsibility for the explosion, and most of the country's rebel groups were too weak and too far from Rangoon to carry out such an attack. Suspicion instead fell on elements within the military regime, which is divided over international demands for political reform.

National celebrations

The Armed Forces Day celebrations were attended by Burma's ruling military junta, including the country's leader General Than Shwe. More than 7,000 military personnel paraded in Rangoon's Resistance Park in honour of the event. General Than Shwe gave a 10-minute address emphasising the importance and achievements of Burma's armed forces.

Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) was also due to mark Armed Forces Day on Thursday, an event originally known as Resistance Day. The anniversary has significance for the NLD as it recalls the day in 1945 when General Aung San, the leader of Burma's independence movement, called on national resistance fighters to throw out Japanese occupying forces.

General Aung San was the father of Aung San Suu Kyi.