At least eight people have been killed in explosions at Myanmar’s notorious Ansein prison in Yangon.
Locals told JEE News Burmese that two parcel bombs exploded at the prison’s entrance on Wednesday morning, killing three prison staff and five visitors.
Ansin Prison is the largest prison in the country, housing about 10,000 prisoners, most of whom are political prisoners.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Eighteen other people were injured, officials confirmed.
Officials say the bomb exploded in the jail’s post room. Another bomb – which did not explode – was later found there wrapped in a plastic bag.
Officials confirmed that the five dead were visiting women and relatives of the prisoners.
James’ mother was a student leader who was arrested by Myanmar military authorities last June. She was on her way to the jail to deliver a box of rice to her son during the week of the court hearing.
Insein Prison is a vast, high-security complex on the outskirts of the former capital.
Human rights groups say the centuries-old prison is notorious for its harsh conditions and inhumane treatment of inmates.
Myanmar is currently run by a military junta that overthrew the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a violent coup last year.
However, the junta faces stiff resistance in large parts of the country where there is an active guerrilla front known as the People’s Defense Force (PDF).
In Yangon, there have been frequent bomb attacks, most of them small, since the military crushed a popular anti-coup movement last year.
They usually target people seen as collaborating with the military – such as government officials, alleged informants and, more recently, air force pilots who have been targeting villages that resist military rule. He is accused of taking part in airstrikes.
There have also been assassination attempts, drive-by shootings and beheadings in rural areas due to violent behavior, blamed on both sides.
Observers say the extent of deadly fighting and fighting this year is indicative of civil war.
