Explosions went off at electricity offices in three Yangon townships on Friday morning, locals told Myanmar Now.
Residents of Mingaladon and Lanmadaw and a passerby in Sanchaung at the time of the attack said that offices in the townships were targeted.
A local who lives near the Mingaladon office said that no one was injured in the explosion, which occurred at 5am. An office wall was damaged in the blast.
“I thought it was a tire exploding. We only found out it was a bomb when military troops hurried into the EPC [Electricity Power Corporation] office,” the resident said.
The local said that military council authorities in the area were forcing residents to pay their electricity bills, and those households that did not pay were having their power cut off.
“Even after the bombing, they’re still making announcements in the streets to pay the bills. They had four to five armed soldiers and uniformed electricians,” the resident said on Friday, noting that this was more than on previous days.
A resident who lives near the Lanmadaw Township electricity office on Strand Rd said a bomb went off there at 5am, and again, no one was injured.
“We heard it go off. It was so loud that it shook our house. Then, of course, the military started checking the passing cars,” the resident said.
Another bomb exploded in front of the Sanchaung electricity office near the City Mart supermarket at 10am. Junta soldiers were already at the scene, a shopper at the supermarket told Myanmar Now.
“It was pretty loud. It even shook the City Mart building. It appeared that someone threw the bomb at the office from the outside. There were some military officers present at the time of the attack,” the shopper said, adding, “I think they were going to start asking people to pay the electricity bills in Sanchaung this morning.”
Despite there being no casualties, the troops stopped passing cars for security checks around the Myaynigone neighbourhood in Sanchaung immediately following the attack, claimed the shopper.
“We didn’t dare stay and watch for much longer since the military vehicles arrived almost immediately. It’s absolute chaos there right now,” the shopper said.
Anti-coup protesters have called on members of the public to resist paying their electricity bills, since the payments would increase the funds available to the military coup council, which they aim to overthrow.
Locals in other townships across Yangon have recently reported seeing armed soldiers on the streets threatening people regarding the payment of their electricity bills and using megaphones. They have warned that residents will lose their access to electricity if they don’t pay. Electricity office staff have been asked to participate in the announcements as well.
In the last week, bombs have also gone off at the electricity offices in Hlaing, Tamwe and Thingangyun townships in Yangon and Bago Township in Bago Region.
Electricity is necessary for apartment residents to access water, as electric power is required to operate the water pump; most residences in densely populated Yangon are apartments.
Many locals say they are finding it difficult to take part in the “no electric bills” campaign within the anti-coup movement, which encourages people to use generators and solar panels instead of relying on the military-controlled distribution of electric power.
