US embassy cable - 05RANGOON489

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