Mae Sot on high alert after car bomb rocks Myawaddy border
A car bomb planted at the foot of the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge near the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border checkpoint exploded late on Saturday night damaging a four-storey building and shops nearby.
No casualties or injuries were reported. Thai border checkpoint officials said it took firefighters about an hour to get the flames under control.
A little later, a group of people showed up at the site and clashed with Myanmar officials. The clash reportedly lasted for about 15 minutes before the group withdrew to the south of Myawaddy.
Reports say a team of Myanmar soldiers were deployed on Sunday to control the situation and collect evidence.
Meanwhile, security at the Mae Sot border was immediately stepped up on Saturday night and the patrol team found a group of Myanmar citizens who had reportedly crossed over to Thailand before the explosion.
The officers rounded up 24 men and 25 women, who said they were waiting for job agents to take them to Bangkok and other provinces. They claimed to have paid 20,000 baht each to job brokers.
The group will be deported after undergoing legal proceedings at the Mae Sot Police Station.
