M-Media
22nd Oct 2013
Police officers stand beside a table of explosive devices which were discovered over the past week in five divisions and states, at a press conference on Friday at the Rangoon Division government office. (Photo Courtesy- JPaing / The Irrawaddy)
The recent series of bomb blasts in Burma took international media attention to the widest level. United States denounced it as “acts of terror”. Myanmar state media also labelled it as a “terrorist act”.
Media like AFP and Bangkok Post reported the intention behind these blasts as “to scare away foreign investments” based on Burmese local authorities. Myanmar state media said the attacks came at a “critical juncture” for the nation, with the government seeking a nationwide ceasefire deal with all ethnic armed groups.
Burmese Police chief, Zaw Win also told reporters at the press conference in Yangon that “they (alleged bomb plotters) intended to ward off foreign investors”.
Two days later, this police press conference at Yangon Division government office on 18 Oct was followed by a press conference of KNU (Karen National Union).
KNU central Executive Committee member, Pado Mahn Nyein Maung chaired the press conference as one detained bombing suspect, Saw Myint Lwin reportedly served in the past with KNU which was notorious as a hostile rebel group under junta’s propagation.
While the statement done by government officials like Zaw Win and Ye Htut, deputy minister of information during their media appearances, which stressed that the bomb blasts were intended to undermine foreign investment, on the contrary KNU told the reporters that the bombs were set off to incite communal conflict.
Mizzima reported that officials at both press conferences cited statements made by suspects during interrogations.
Pado Nyein Maung said, “We assume that the motive was to incite racial and communal conflict in the country. Undermining foreign investment is just the bombers’ surface explanation”, during the press conference at the Myanmar Peace Centre in Yangon.
Mizzima furthermore reported that Burmese police chief, Zaw Win did not make any connection between the bombs and religion, but the KNU’s Pado Nyein Maung did. Pado Nyein Maung mentioned that the suspects were targeting religious buildings. He said, “They targeted religious buildings, including the sacred Buddhist shrine of Shwedagon pagoda. We assume their motive was to reignite communal conflict in the country by bombing the sacred shrines of Buddhists.”
He affirmed the ulterior purpose of the suspects as they had planned to attack Shwedagon pagoda exactly on Eid-ul-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice.
The recent severe violence against Muslim minorities in Burma was just broke out and this plan to attack Shwedagon on Muslim feast disclosed by Pado Nyein Maung could be a very dangerous plot if it succeeds.
All leading local media remain relatively silent about the connection of bomb blasts and religion. Yet another mysterious plot is about to be kept out of sight.
