Two Bomb Explosions in Rangoon, Say Witnesses

Two bombs exploded in Rangoon on Sunday, witnesses said. No injuries were reported.

The witnesses, who asked for anonymity for fear of official reprisal, said the first blast occurred on a downtown Rangoon street at around 8 pm local time. A second bomb exploded about one hour later on a street near the luxurious Traders Hotel, the witnesses said.

Authorities did not mention any suspects or confirm what caused the blasts.

The first bomb exploded under a car, said witnesses who live nearby. Witnesses said the other bomb was also placed under a car. No other details were available.

Few people were in the streets at the time. Security and riot police quickly blocked off both blast sites.

Terrorism is rare in Burma, which has been under near-continuous military rule since 1962.

A few small-scale bombings have occurred in recent years, however. The government has blamed the attacks on ethnic rebel groups seeking autonomy.

Earlier this month the Burma’s state-run media warned that terrorists might be planning bombings during the annual Water Festival from April 11-18 and during next month's constitutional referendum.

The country underwent extreme political turmoil in September last year when the government crushed peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations. The United Nations estimated that at least 31 people were killed and thousands more detained following the crackdown.

The junta, which the international community has heavily criticized for human rights violations and a lack of democracy, announced in February that it will hold a referendum vote on a draft constitution in May and a general election in 2010.

The referendum will be the first time since a 1990 general election that Burma's people have been allowed any kind of vote.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's party won the 1990 election but the military refused to hand over power.

The text of the proposed constitution, obtained by The Associated Press, enshrines the military's dominant role in politics, bars Suu Kyi from public office and protects members of the ruling junta from prosecution for past actions.

Suu Kyi, who is now under house arrest, has been in detention without trial for more than 12 of the past 18 years.

Burma has been without a constitution since 1988, when the current junta took power and scrapped the previous charter after violently suppressing mass pro-democracy demonstrations.