Two Myanmar air bases hit by unidentified attackers
In the first attack, three blasts were reported at an air base near the central town of Magway. Later, five rockets were reportedly fired at one of the country’s main airbases, at Meiktila, northeast of Magway.
This handout photo taken and released by Dawei Watch shows protesters taking part in a demonstration against the military coup in Dawei's Launglone township, on April 28, 2021.
Unidentified attackers have launched assaults on two Myanmar air bases, with blasts reported at one base and rocket fire seen at another.
The attacks reported by media and a witness on Thursday come after three months of turmoil in Myanmar triggered by a February 1 military coup. There was no claim of responsibility or any confirmation of any casualties in the attacks.
A military spokesman did not answer calls seeking comment.
In the first attack on Thursday, three blasts went off at an airbase near the central town of Magway in the early hours, the Delta News Agency reported in a post on Facebook.
Security checks were stepped up on roads outside the base after the blasts, the news portal said.
Later, five rockets were fired at one of the country's main airbases, at Meiktila, to the northeast of Magway, reporter Than Win Hlaing, who was near the base at the time, said in a post.
He also posted a video clip that included the sound of what appeared to be a rocket flying overhead followed by a blast. Reuters could not verify the clip.
Evening vigils, prayers and protests in Mandalay and Sagaing this evening (Apr 28) calling for the immediate release of those detained by the coup regime and in support of the National Unity Government.#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/qRMyOa1EGE
— Myanmar Now (@Myanmar_Now_Eng) April 28, 2021
Protests
Since the ouster of an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, pro-democracy protests have rocked cities and towns, and the military has cracked down with lethal force, killing 756 people, according to an activist group. Reuters is unable to confirm the casualty toll.
Fighting between the military and ethnic minority insurgents has also flared since the coup with the military launching numerous airstrikes in borderlands in the north and east.
READ MORE: Myanmar's Karen rebels overrun military base near Thai border
Hope fades
The growing insecurity comes as hope fades for a bid by Myanmar's Southeast Asian neighbours to find a path out of the crisis.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held a meeting on Saturday in the Indonesian capital with the junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and later said they had reached a "five-point consensus" on steps to end violence and promote dialogue between the generals and their civilian rivals.
But the junta has declined to accept the proposals, saying it would consider them "when the situation returns to stability" and provided the recommendations facilitated the military's own roadmap.
Myanmar's pro-democracy unity government formed to oppose the junta, ruled out talks on the crisis until all political prisoners are released.
Crushing dissent
In an indication of the military's determination to crush dissent, state television announced late on Wednesday that authorities were seeking to charge one of the main leaders of the pro-democracy protests with murder and treason.
Wai Moe Naing, 25, was arrested on April 15 when security men rammed him with a car as he led a motorbike protest rally in the central town of Monywa.
The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that Wai Moe Naing's group was linked to several explosions of "homemade grenades" in Monywa.
"In addition, they also tortured and brutally killed two police officers ... on March 26," the newspaper said.
It is unclear if Wai Moe Naing has a lawyer.
READ MORE: UN says nearly quarter million displaced after Myanmar coup
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