Fatal bus bombs in China as Olympics loom

Deadly bomb blasts on three buses in China’s southwestern city of Kunming, in Yunnan province, have left at least three dead and 14 injured. The explosions come just three weeks before the Olympic Games get underway in capital Beijing. Police describe the blasts as “sabotage.”

The Kunming bombs were detonated two days after Yunnan police opened fire and killed two rubber farmers in a clash that saw 41 police officers injured. The armed exchanges were sparked when police tried to arrest five people in Menglian for allegedly attacking a local rubber company in an long-running dispute between farmers and the private firm.
Chinese authorities have urged local officials to redress local grievances to ensure a “harmonious social atmosphere” for the duration of the games. The incidents add to tensions in the country as the Olympics draw closer, amid repeated state warnings that the event is being targeted by terrorists.