MYANMAR: TAUNGOO BOMBER SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HANGING

January 7, 2015: An ethnic Karen man was found guilty of the murder of two persons in connection with the bombing of a guesthouse in Taungoo in 2013. He was sentenced to death by hanging by a district court in Pegu [Bago].
In addition, Saw Htun Htun was convicted under Article 326 for causing grievous harm with a dangerous weapon, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labour. He also received a two-year sentence under Article 324 for causing harm.
In July 2014, the Taungoo District Court found Saw Htun Htun, then 34, guilty of planting a bomb at the Chan Myae Guesthouse in the city, which killed two people and injured one on 11 October 2013. He was sentenced under the 1980 Explosives Act to 10 years with hard labour.
About a month after the Taungoo bombing, Saw Htun Htun was detained by local police with the assistance of the Karen National Union. Police said that he confessed during interrogation
that he had left a bag containing explosives at the guesthouse because he was instructed to do so by a man named Saw Tawah, who is currently still at large.
The incident was just one in a spate of bomb attacks at that time. In the same week, explosions were felt in Rangoon, Mandalay and Sagaing cities, as well as Shan State’s Namhkam. No indication was ever given that the bombings were related.
According to data from the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, 235 persons in Burma are currently incarcerated under sentence of death. However, the last known execution in Burma took place in 1988. (Sources: dvb.no, 08/01/2014)