Village headmen ordered to tighten security after bombings

IMNA:
Village headmen from 4 locations in Mon State reported to IMNA that they have been ordered by the Burmese military to tighten security in their villages, following a series of bombings across Burma since April 15th of this year.

The orders were given on April 26th, just a day before a telecommunications center in Mon State’s Kyaikmayaw Township was bombed by unidentified perpetrators.

According to IMNA sources, 4 different Burmese military battalions in Mon State each called village headmen in their areas of control to their respective military bases on April 26th, for a discussion about bomb threats and village security. The meetings were held at Light Infantry Battalion’s (LIB) No. 62’s base in Thanphyuzayart town, Infantry Battalion’s (IB) No. 103’s base in Moulmein, Artillery Regiment No. 318’s (AR) base in Arbit village in Mudon Township, and AR No. 315’s base in Thanbuzayart Township’s Waekali village.

Reportedly, the battalions informed the meetings attendees that they had heard rumors of potential bombings around Mon state, and that headmen were to be vigilant about newcomers to their villages, and to report suspicious persons to the battalions.

“They said that they had gotten news, some bombers have arrived in our areas, the bombers [supposedly] are Mon, Karen and Rakhain. That’s why we need to monitor for that [monitor outsiders in villages],” said a village headman who joined the Arbit village meeting.

Village headmen were also informed that if their security measures failed, and a bomb attack occured in their respective villages, they would be held responsible for the explosion.

Sources informed IMNA that security has tightened dramatically in villages around Mon State since Tuesday’s meeting; many headmen have established nightly sentry stations and checkpoints at the entrances to their villages, manned by Burmese military-trained forces.

“In our village, at night-time some of the people’s militia members and fire brigade members are checking [movement into] the village,” said Modun Township resident, who asked that his village’s name be withheld.

An IMNA field reporter noted that since the April 26th meetings, particularly strict checkpoints have been established on the highways leading into Moulmein, Arbit village, and Thanphyuzayart town. These particular checkpoints are being manned by state-organized policemen, Burmese military soldiers, and traffic policemen, rather than local military forces.

“Especially, they checked at the gates [on the highways], from Myawaddy to Moulmein, Three Pagoda Pass to Arbit village, and Three Pagoda Pass to Thanphyuzayart. We never have seen them check at these places, but [now] on the highways they have checks like that,” he explained.

It is as of this date unclear how the Burmese government will respond to Tuedsay’s bombing in Kyaikmayaw Township, and if the New Mon State Party (NMSP) will be implicated in the attack.

“The State Peace and Development Council always suspects the opposition groups, when a bomb explodes, sometime they accused the cease-fire groups of doing it,” a political observer from Mudon Township speculated to IMNA.

The NMSP went on record in IMNA’s April 29th coverage of the Kyaikmayaw attack, denying responsibility for the attacks and stating that the party wished to “solve problems in peace”.