As of yet there has been no claims of responsibility for the blasts, which come in the middle of the former dictatorship’s transition to democracy. While some believe they could be part of an Islamist backlash against recent anti-Muslim violence in the majority Buddhist state, others said they could have been carried out by rogue elements in the security services opposed to reform. A third possibility is that it is the work of ethnic insurgents, who have mounted urban bombing campaigns in the past.