Hnin Nwe

An explosion injured a village administrator and two security personnel at a jetty along the Laymyo River at Pan Myaung village, in Arakan State’s Minbya Township, on the morning of March 20, with one local resident describing the blast as a mine detonation.

Security forces consisting of police and military personnel were inspecting watercrafts running between Pan Myaung village and Minbya town when the explosion occurred at about 10 a.m., said U Nga Lone Chay, a resident of Pan Myaung village.

“Two mines exploded while members of the Tatmadaw were checking motorboats at the jetty,” he told DMG.

Nagara village-tract administrator U Maung Phyu Daung’s hands were injured by the blast and the two members of the security forces — one police officer and one soldier — suffered facial wounds, villagers said.

Pan Myaung villager Ko Soe Naing said local residents were worried that something bad would happen in the village following the mine blast nearby.

“Villagers are concerned about various risks, especially they are worried that the Tatmadaw might hold a grudge over the mine blast,” he said.

DMG phoned Tatmadaw Western Command spokesperson Colonel Win Zaw Oo and Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team seeking comment on the incident, but they could not be reached.