News Briefing – Bomb explosions and other terrorist acts committed by insurgent terrorist gangs and other anti-government groups.
[ May 26 , 2003 ]

A press conference to clarify terrorism detonating bombs and atrocities perpetrated by the insurgent groups including the anti-government organizations at home and abroad was held at the Tatmadaw Guest House on Inya Road here at 10 am today.

Present on the occasion were Minister for Labour U Tin Winn, Vice-Chief of Military Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs U Khin Maung Win, Deputy Minister for Information Brig-Gen Aung Thein, Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung, senior military officers of the Ministry of Defence, heads of department, officials of the Ministry of Information, U Sein Win of Kyodo News Agency, Patron of Myanmar Foreign Correspondents Club U Hla Htway, President U Sao Kai Hpa and member correspondents and guests.

Clarifying destructive acts including detonating bombs, Head of Department of the Ministry of Defence Brig-Gen Kyaw Thein said that insurgent groups including anti-government organizations constantly committed terrorism planting bombs and subversive acts with every intention of destroying peace and stability in the nation, harming the efforts for building a peaceful modern and developed nation, shocking the people and killing the innocent people.

Especially, the KNU terrorist insurgents and the SURA drug trafficking insurgents intensified their destructive and subversive acts and terrorism. Those destructive and subversive acts had already been explained at the previous press conferences.

With the intention to shock the city dwellers, to destroy trading between Myanmar and Thailand and to jeopardize the ties already strengthened between the two countries, the SURA drug trafficking insurgents who are active in border of the two countries detonated time bombs in four separate places in Tachilek at about 3 am, about 6 am and about 8 am on 21 May, killing four innocent people and destroying two vehicles and some buildings.

In addition, at about 9 am on 22 May, nine oil tankers of Myanma Petroleum Products Enterprise, which were on their way from Tachilek to Kengtung were ambushed by the terrorist insurgents. Three vehicles were destroyed by fire, and three vehicles over turned, killing three drivers.

Leader of SURA drug trafficking insurgents Ywet Sit denied any responsibility of his group for detonating of bombs in Tachilek. But actually, it was found that the SURA drug trafficking insurgents (Central) despatched bombers and hatched a plot to carry out the attacks.

In ambushing the oil tankers, it was also the work of border transgression group of the SURA insurgents and especially the work of Hsantit with the rank of company commander of SURA insurgents groups which are active in that region.

It is learnt that the insurgent groups and the anti-government organizations abroad including anti-government organizations inside the country could send similar further bombers with the intention of shocking the public and killing the innocent people.

Thus, the respective security units are in hot pursuit of the insurgents who are going to encroach upon the Myanmar territory. Brig-Gen Kyaw Win explained with firm evidence that the newspapers of the other country had disseminated fabricated news as if Wa national races in Myanmar detonated the bombs.