State media and an eyewitness mentioned bombs contained in the parcel detonated at Myanmar’s largest jail on Wednesday, prompting troopers to return to a confrontation that killed not less than eight folks.
An armed anti-junta group claimed accountability for the assault at Insen Prison in an announcement posted on social media, saying it was “retribution against (junta chief) Min Aung Huling”.
“Today … Burma’s Special Tasks Agency (STA) carried out two strikes to kill the prison chief. We are retaliate against Min Aung Hlaing and the prison authorities for their continued atrocities on our revolution comrades,” it mentioned. Told.
State-owned MRTV mentioned the explosions have been brought on by “mines inside the parcel”, which killed three jail officers and 5 guests and injured 18. An injured eyewitness mentioned that even after the bomb went off on the parcel counter, pictures have been fired.
Myanmar has been in chaos for the reason that army overthrew an elected authorities led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s celebration, and launched a brutal crackdown on dissent.
Witnesses instructed Reuters troopers opened hearth within the jail in response to the explosions.
“I ran away as soon as I heard the blast and that’s when I got hurt. Soldiers… opened fire at the entrance recklessly,” mentioned the witness, who declined to be named as a result of safety causes.
Witnesses mentioned they have been about 10 ft (3 meters) away from the explosions and had been damage not by the explosions however by shrapnel from bullets.
The critically injured have been taken out of jail, whereas others have been handled at close by retailers. According to media, a number of instances scheduled for listening to within the subsequent door court docket have been quashed.
Insen is the nation’s most infamous jail and has housed hundreds of political prisoners for the reason that coup final yr.
Activist teams condemned the assault, and referred to as for the perpetrators to be “held accountable for their actions”.
One of dozens of unbiased resistance teams preventing in opposition to the army dictatorship in Myanmar, the STA has carried out a number of assaults, together with a raid on the immigration workplace in Thingyunkyun township in August.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
