NAYPYITAW, 21 October 2021, (TON): Two Mon State-based People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) in Ye and Thanbyuzayat townships jointly claimed responsibility for an after-hours bombing of a ward administration office in Thanbyuzayat.

A leader within the Ye PDF (YPDF) said that the attack was timed to occur after the office in Aung Chanthar ward had closed and the staff had left, and was intended as a “warning” to the military council’s local administrative mechanism.

The YPDF member said “we tried not to harm anyone because this is just a warning. We chose to detonate it after office hours so that no one would be hurt.”

In photos of the office released by the YPDF after the explosion, damage could be seen to the wall around the office and to the building itself.

The YPDF leader said that PDF chapters nationwide had been trying to carry out targeted attacks against the junta without harming civilians, and have at times had to abandon plans when large numbers of people have travelled to their respective areas, especially in southeastern Myanmar.

“People are going on pilgrimages while we’re out there trying to fight for them. Tons of people are coming to the Kyaikkhami Pagoda in Thanbyuzayat. It’s a problem that PDFs all over the country are facing,” he told media, adding, “We urge civilians to not travel if not necessary.”

PDFs in the region have announced that they are focusing their attacks on members of the shadowy pro-military Pyu Saw Htee network. Meanwhile, the military council has been continuing to arrest and kill locals suspected of being PDF members.