Myanmar bomb attacks kill five, including NLD local council member

YANGON, Myanmar – A series of explosions in Myanmar’s central Bago region have killed five people, including a local council member of the ousted National League for Democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, local media reported Tuesday.

According to the online media outlet “Myanmar Now,” there were a total of three explosions Monday afternoon including at least one set off by a parcel bomb. Three police officers who had joined a civil disobedience movement in opposition to February’s military coup were among those killed.

Parliamentarians and police officers have been staying in villages in the Bago region to escape violent crackdowns on protests by the armed forces.

A villager who had taken in the officers was also killed, and another police officer was seriously injured, according to the media report.

Saturday marked three months since the Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the elected government led by Suu Kyi. People calling for democracy have continued their protests against the coup in various forms, including a so-called civil disobedience movement to boycott work.

Due to authorities’ strengthened crackdowns and willingness to use deadly force, large-scale demonstrations, in which millions of people participated, have lost considerable momentum, virtually disappearing.

As of Monday, 766 people have been killed and 3,614 arrested, charged or sentenced by the junta, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights group monitoring the situation in Myanmar.