Myanmar-China border town hit by bomb blast and shootings, killing 2
- No group has so far claimed the attacks in Muse – Myanmar’s main gateway to China – which is home to several militia groups jockeying for control
- One woman died and five people were wounded in a bomb attack on a police traffic post. A later attack killed another person and wounded four more
One woman died and five people were wounded in a bomb attack on a police traffic post on Monday, said a local NGO worker who requested anonymity.
Later that night, the police station was attacked “with small arms and heavy weapons”, the worker said, killing another person and leaving four wounded.
A member of a volunteer rescue group who helped transport people to hospital confirmed the two deaths but put the wounded tolls higher, saying six people, five of them militia members, had been injured in the bombing, and another five injured in the police station attack.
A separate, drive-by shooting on Tuesday morning injured two more suspected militia members, both the NGO worker and the rescuer said. Local media also reported the attacks. A police spokesman for the area could not be reached for comment.
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Muse is home to several militia groups controlled by Myanmar’s army – which has an agreement with China not to station troops along the border.
The military uses the militias as proxies in a long-running conflict with ethnic rebel groups which operate in the area, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
TNLA spokesman Major Tar Aik Kyaw said his group was not involved in the Muse attacks.
But the region is awash with weapons and a centre for meth production as armed rebels and militias jostle for a share of any potential windfall.