Mizzima

Defence forces destroyed two-thirds of a bridge over the Bilin River, on the Yangon to Mawlamyine highway in Mon State’s Thaton Township, on 29 June.

At around 4:00 a.m. on 29 June, mines were detonated on the Kyone Eait Bridge (a.k.a. the Bo P’lay Bridge), which crosses the Bilin River in Bilin Township’s Shwe Yaung Pya Village Tract. 

The explosion killed a pedestrian and damaged three cars. It also destroyed large sections of the bridge.

“People who live near to the bridge said that there was an explosion at 4:00 a.m… When the bridge broke three cars also fell off the bridge,” a Bilin resident said to Mizzima.

Traffic jams started building up at the bridge at around 6:00 a.m. as cars took turns to use the single remaining carriageway on the bridge.

A Bilin defence force member said: “We heard that family and passenger vehicles are allowed to cross once they reduce their load, even though it is unsafe to use the bridge.”

The bridge was blown up by fighters from Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 1 and local people’s defence force (PDF) fighters. Their aim was to disrupt junta convoys and prevent them from supplying reinforcements to other areas, according to a local defence force member.

He said: “Our revolutionary force specially targeted the military convoy. We are going to speed up our military operations. We have issued a statement warning the public. We need cooperation from the public.”

Later, at around 9:00 a.m., when staff from the Ministry of Construction came to inspect the damage to the bridge, a defence force drone dropped a bomb on them that killed two people and injured at least a further five, according to Major Saw Kyaw Myint, the Karen National Union (KNU) liaison officer for Thaton District.

The Kyone Eait Bridge is on the Yangon to Mawlamyine to Hpa An highway, which the junta regularly uses to transport supplies and reinforcements to its Southeastern Military Command in Mawlamyine and its Coastal Regional Military Command in Myeik.