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Explosion Reported in Room of Luxury Hotel in Burma


An explosion has been reported in a room of a luxury hotel in Burma's main city of Rangoon, and one American was injured.

It was not immediately clear what caused Monday's blast at the Traders Hotel, the latest in a series of explosions in Burma.

Police say the explosion was believed to have happened in a guest's bathroom, blowing out the window of the guest's ninth floor room. Officials say the woman staying in the room was injured in the blast and taken to a Rangoon hospital.

The hotel, part of the Shangri-la group, is popular with foreign tourists and business people.

Earlier Monday, police said they found at least two unexploded bombs, one in Rangoon and the other in Mandalay. In recent days, a series of bombs have gone off in Burma, killing two people and leaving several wounded.

The two deaths took place on Friday when an explosion ripped through a guesthouse in the town of Taungoo, about 200 kilometers north of Rangoon. Two blasts in Rangoon on Sunday injured several people.

A police spokesman in Rangoon says one of the devices that was found Monday was successfully defused before it could go off.

"It was found by a janitor at local restaurant and then we were informed about the discovery, Experts examined and removed it. Security in Rangoon has been beefed up two to three times higher than before," he said.

No one has taken responsibility for the recent blasts and police say they do not yet have any suspects.

Authorities are asking the public to report any suspicious packages.

A resident in Rangoon, who did not wish to be named, told VOA's Burmese service that the bombs are a concern.

"I’m worried and feel sad to hear such incident. I think it’s certainly a destructive act for the country where changes are taking place," she said.

Small scale bombings were common during Burma's decades long military rule, but have become rare since the country started opening up two years ago.

This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Burmese service.
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