MANDALAY EXPLOSION KILLS TWO, INJURES OVER A DOZEN

UNCLAS RANGOON 000489 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINS ASEC CASC BM SUBJECT: MANDALAY EXPLOSION KILLS TWO, INJURES OVER A DOZEN ¶1. (SBU) On April 26, a credible source with ties to the GOB notified the Embassy that an explosive device had detonated in the late afternoon in Mandalay city's central market, Ze Gyo. An Embassy contract employee in Mandalay, Burma's second largest city, visited the scene shortly after the explosion and later reported that the improvised explosive device (IED) had been placed inside a plastic bag and deposited in a trash can between two shops on the first floor of the busy market. ¶2. (U) Local sources in Mandalay reported that the explosion killed two female shop workers and injured over a dozen others, several seriously. No foreigners were among the casualties. The Embassy's consular section made contact with an Amcit who resides in Mandalay and reported that all registered Amcits were safe and unaffected by the blast. ¶3. (U) The GOB's official newspaper reported the incident on April 27, specifying that two persons were killed and 15 were injured. The GOB article described the incident as a "subversive act...committed by a group of insurgent destructive elements who wanted to disturb and destroy stability of the State." However, the GOB did not offer any evidence of an investigation or identify a specific perpetrator. Martinez