Blast destroys bridge in Mon State

A bridge on the Yangon-Mawlamyine road in Bilin Township, Mon State was destroyed on Thursday in an evidently intentional attack for which no group has claimed responsibility. The attack comes less than two weeks after a similar incident damaged the Kyone Ate Bridge in Mon State, according to local residents and rescue workers. Locals and emergency response workers said traffic and public transit were blocked in Bilin Township after the incident, which reportedly killed one man and injured two women. “All vehicles have been barred at the town entrance of Bilin. The damage is extensive but one side of the bridge is still in good condition and passable,” a local motorist said. Local sources said the destroyed bridge, known in the area as the “Ma Saw” bridge—is on the Yangon-Mawlamyine highway near Bilin, a junta-controlled town, and the village of Shwe Yaung Pya. The Ma Saw bridge in Bilin Township, Mon State after the explosive attack (Photo: Supplied) The Yangon-Mawlamyine highway is part of a major trade route connecting Myanmar’s largest city with its southernmost states and regions: Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi Region. “The bridge is very close to the old Bilin tollgate, a junta checkpoint. It’s about two turns away from there. It’s also near to the Kyone Ate Bridge which was destroyed a few days ago,” a motorist traveling from Bilin Township said. No group had claimed responsibility for detonating the explosives at the time of reporting. Posts on pro-junta propaganda Telegram channels blamed the powerful ethnic armed organisation Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defence Forces—the armed wing of the publicly mandated National Unity Government (NUG). Junta troops and an alliance of junta forces led by the KNLA are both active in the area and have destroyed bridges in the past. A local rescue worker said it was hazardous for him and his colleagues to take detours, but that it was necessary after the attacks caused blockages and delays on the usual route. “It’s not safe at all. Both sides forbid using alternate routes, but to save the lives of our patients, we have no other choice. The narrow roads and traffic congestion slowed us down,” the rescue worker said. On May 11, the Kyone Ate bridge on another section of the Yangon-Mawlamyine road in Bilin Township was destroyed using explosives, obstructing the roads and delaying traffic.

Blast destroys bridge in Mon State

The explosion, which appeared to be a deliberate attack, was the second such incident on the Yangon-Mawlamyine road in less than two weeks

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