Man Dies in Bomb Blast North of Myanmar Capital

A bomb killed a man in a town north of Yangon in the second of two blasts in or near army-ruled Myanmar's capital, police said.

The man was killed on Sunday in Shwepyitha Township, about 20 km (12 miles) north of Yangon.

"The bomb exploded at about 5:30 p.m. and one man was killed," a police officer told Reuters late on Sunday, saying he could give no further information while an investigation was being carried out.

Another bomb had exploded at about 7:30 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Saturday on a football pitch in Yankin Township in northeastern Yangon, residents and police officials said.

Police defused another bomb found nearby after combing the area, official newspapers reported on Monday.

Bomb explosions are fairly common in the former Burma and the junta usually puts the blame on anti-government dissident groups, either armed ethnic groups fighting for greater autonomy or pro-democracy activists.

Four people were injured on Sept. 25 when a bomb went off outside City Hall in Yangon the day before the anniversary of a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters.