Three bombs exploded at busy department stores within minutes of each other Saturday afternoon in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, killing at least 11 people and injuring 162 others, officials said. The three bombs went off within five minutes of each other at 2:50, 2:55 and 3:00 p.m. at Dagon Centre, the Mayangon department store and the Yangon Trade Centre, where the 12th Thai Exhibition was closing on Saturday, DPA reported. At least one foreigner was reportedly among the injured at the Mayangon department store blast, but his nationality was not known. All other department stores and markets in the capital were immediately closed to the public after the blasts. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said in Bangkok that he had dispatched a plane to Yangon to evacuate any Thai nationals who wanted to leave. State-run Myanmar television stations immediately blamed the explosions on various ethnic insurgencies including the Karen National Union (KNU), Shan State Army (SSA) and Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP). --More 1804 Local Time 1504 GMT
