THAI soldiers and police beefed up security in risky areas of Mae Sot border town after two explosions, one of them a car bomb, rocked Myanmar’s Myawaddy town which is just across the Moei river last night (Oct. 15), Naewna newspaper said today.
First to go off was a car bomb near Myanmar’s permanent border checkpoint adjacent to the First Thai-Myanmar Friendship bridge right across from the checkpoint on the Thai side.
Many houses were damaged and people on both sides of the river could clearly see smoke billowing with this causing panic all around.
However there were no reports of any casualties.
A little later the second blast believed to have been an improvised explosive device of unknown weight went off at Myawaddy’s government office near Bayeng Nong market and a kilometre away from where the car bomb exploded.
Moreover there was an exchange of gunfire that lasted five minutes.
Amid this chaos, Myawaddy residents rushed home and switched off the lights as Myanmar soldiers and border guards quickly filled the streets to prevent a repeat of the blasts.
On the Thai side soldiers from 14th Infantry Regiment Task Force, Border Patrol Police and local police together with officials quickly beefed up security in risky areas, especially natural crossing points along the Moei river.
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The explosions that occurred in Myawaddy last night. Photo: Naewna
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