Passengers ride a ferry from the Dala jetty along Yangon River in Yangon on 19 October 2022/AFP.

BANGKOK, THAILAND — Myanmar’s junta and anti-coup fighters on Monday traded accusations over a bomb attack on a Yangon commuter ferry that wounded 17 people, the latest blast to hit the commercial hub.

The explosion struck a vessel ferrying people from the city’s bustling downtown across the Yangon river to the township of Dala on Sunday evening, the junta said.

Images published by local media showed blood and debris strewn across the wooden floor of the boat.

The junta on Monday blamed “PDF terrorists” for the attack, referring to “People’s Defence Force” groups that have sprung up across the country since the military’s putsch that clash regularly with junta troops.

It said a “hand-made mine” had been used in the attack, and that 17 wounded people were being treated at a hospital in Yangon.

No group has claimed the attack and the Dala PDF released its own statement denying involvement.

“As we are on the side of the people, we will never do any action like this incident that can physically or mentally harm people,” the group said in a statement.

It also accused the junta of “pretending to be us (PDFs)… carrying out mine attacks on the public”.

Dala is a semi-rural township that sprawls across swampland south of Yangon and is home to many daily wage earners who work in the commercial capital.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power. There are almost daily killings of low-level junta officials or anti-coup fighters, with details murky and reprisals often following quickly.

In October, at least two bombs exploded outside a Yangon prison, killing eight people and wounding 18 in an attack the junta blamed on “terrorist” anti-coup fighters.

In July, a bomb blast near a shopping mall in Yangon killed two people and wounded 11.

— AFP

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

Big power disputes in spotlight at Southeast Asia security meet

Top diplomats from the US, China, and Russia attended a security meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers.

Climate change raising heat risks for workers, experts warn

Rising global temperatures are increasing the risk of workers dying or becoming disabled from extreme heat, according to an international conference. Tens of thousands of workers worldwide have already died from heat-related illnesses. The conference highlighted the need for countries to take action to protect workers’ health, including implementing regulations and providing rest, water, and shade. Climate change is intensifying the urgency of addressing this issue.

China’s crematoriums struggle as Covid cases soar

BEIJING, CHINA — Crematoriums across China told AFP Tuesday they were straining…

UK researchers cure man who had Covid for 411 days

by Daniel Lawler UNITED KINGDOM — British researchers announced on Friday that they…