Two bombs exploded in Three Pagodas Pass Town last night. The Burmese Army announced that the blasts occurred at 8:20 pm and 8:23 p.m., with a third bomb found that did not detonate, according to a source in the Burmese border town.

The first bomb exploded in the compound of the office of the Special Branch of Police. Just three minutes later the second exploded in front of the Burmese Army Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 32 base.

“The SPDC could not establish, who triggered the bomb explosion, and they are still investigating, which group did it,” said a member of the New Mon State Party (NMSP).

According to a Three Pagodas Pass Town resident, the State Peace and Development (SPDC) authorities arrested two men suspected to be members of the Karen National Union (KNU), the main political party of the Karen people. These suspects worked in a furniture shop just outside of the LIB No. 32.

Another resident explained how the bomb blasts had created fear in Three Pagodas Pass Town: “because of the bomb explosions last night, the large shop owners [they] closed their shops very early. They are afraid it is going to happen again.”

Residents told IMNA that security was initially beefed up at road checkpoints, and tonight it was ratcheted up inside the town. SPDC troops and police officers have begun patrolling on motorcycles and trucks.

This is the second time in just over a month that bomb explosions in Mon State raised security levels, the first being the explosion of three bombs on May 27 in Moulmein, the Mon State capital city.

IMNA received reports that some residents believe the SPDC  authorities may have detonated the bombs themselves, whether to drum up negative opinions of ethnic political parties and their connected armies, or to justify increase in militarization and future trade-related taxes.