The bombing came amid an escalating conflict between Myanmar's government and rebels from the Kokang minority, made up of ethnic Chinese people residing in the south-east Asian nation's northern Shan State. Myanmar's government has accused some rebels of taking refuge across the nearby border with China and called for Beijing to arrest and return them.
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"The insurgents are maybe perhaps targeting the stability of the border areas to damage the relationship between Myanmar and China," Myanmar Defence Minister Wai Lwin told reporters on Monday.
Myanmar has sought to reduce its reliance on China since relations with the West improved after a quasi-civilian government won elections in 2011, ending a half-century of direct military rule. After taking office, Thein Sein, a former general, halted work on some key joint projects, including the $US3.6 billion Myitsone hydropower dam across the Irrawaddy River.