Myanmar bombing plot foiled; 4 bombs defused

Four time bombs were found and defused this week at a hotel in downtown Yangon, Myanmar’s state-controlled press reported on Friday. Thanks to a “duty conscious citizen,” authorities found two suspicious-looking packages on Wednesday under a table in an Internet shop at a hotel, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said. The bomb squad defused the four explosive devices and were looking for the “terrorists who planted the bombs,” it said.
The explosives were discovered as the country copes with the political aftermath of its first election in two decades and the freeing of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi last week.
Though terrorism is rare, several bomb blasts have rocked Myanmar this year, including three in Yangon that killed nine people and wounded 170. The military government usually blames exiled opposition groups for such incidents.
The newspaper warned that terrorists and unscrupulous elements are carrying out destructive acts to harm the public, and authorities urged citizens to inform them of any suspicious activities.
Myanmar held a general election November 7 and results so far released showed the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party gaining a majority of seats, including Prime Minister Thein Sein.