A massive explosion at one of the biggest prisons in Myanmar thrashed everything killing eight people. This prison houses many of its political prisoners, and among the dead people, three staffers and five visitors on Wednesday, officials said.
The Insein Prison in Yangon holds about 10,000 inmates. When the parcel-packaged bombs went off the staff room the prison suffered damage. Another bomb did not detonate which later found wrapped in a plastic bag.
The local news service reported that at Myanmar Explosion two parcel bombs exploded on Wednesday morning, killing three prison staff and five visitors. This explosion also led to injury to at least another 10 people as the explosions ripped through the prison’s mail room.
One of the citizen victims was the mother of known student activist “James” Lin Htet Naing, who was carrying a care package to her son at the time of the blast. No group has taken accountability for the bombing so far.
This is a heavily guarded prison that is notorious for its poor treatment of prisoners and its harsh conditions.
An armed anti-junta group claimed responsibility for this attack at Insein Prison in a statement posted on social media, saying it was “retaliation against (junta chief) Min Aung Hlaing”.
Myanmar’s military junta government, which has been in control since a takeover last year, had banned in-person visits to the prison as part of its COVID-19 pandemic mitigations. Critics have stated the junta has put restrictions on communications between the prisoners and the outside world.
According to Myanmar Now, one of the bombs exploded in a building where staff receives care packages for prisoners, and another exploded outside the building.