Rangoon blasts were grenade attacks: army engineer

Wednesday, 21 April 2010 16:12 Myo Thein

Rangoon (Mizzima) - Hand grenades lobbed into the X2O pavilion in Kandawgyi Park, Rangoon last week caused the three blasts during water-festival celebrations, according to an army engineer on the case.
A team of military engineers and crime-division police investigated the site of the attacks under the supervision of an army commanding officer and a police commander. Three hand grenades were thrown into the massive crowd in front of the pavilion and two detonators were found, an official who asked to remain anonymous said. “The grenades were thrown into the crowd. We found two safety pins. The pins were about 20 yards (18 metres) apart”, he said.

The bombs exploded at the X2O pavilion as the Rangoon Division No. 4 Military Region Commander Colonel Ohn Cho arrived on an inspection tour. He was reportedly hit by shrapnel in his abdomen by one of the three blasts, which killed 10 people and left 170 injured.

But, by April 18, just 50 patients remained in Rangoon Hospital, most of whom were in the hospital’s neurology department.

The army engineer explained the rationale behind the verdict: “We knew that there were around 300 or 400 people present during the incident … many people were dancing so we could assume the bombs could not be time bombs,” he said, without elaborating. “We heard boxes of cigarettes were thrown from the pavilion and that some people threw them back … So, we think criminals threw the grenades, mixing their actions with those of the box throwers.”

As the blasts went off when government officials were arriving at the pavilion, Mizzima asked the engineer if the attackers were targeting the officials. He could not exactly say.