Minister confirms explosion was bomb

Minister confirms explosion was bomb

VIENTIANE (AP): Laos's foreign minister suggested on Tuesday
that an explosion this week in the capital was caused by a bomb
left over from the Vietnam War, but said it was not aimed at an
ASEAN-EU ministerial conference.

The bomb went off Sunday night when cleaners sprucing up an
open area accidentally touched it, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Somsavat Lengsavad said.

The explosion occurred as ministers and senior officials of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union
gathered here for a two-day conference, the biggest diplomatic
event hosted by Laos, which ended on Tuesday.

Still, it raised security concerns as at least nine other
unexplained bombings have rocked the capital Vientiane since late
March, killing at least one woman and injuring dozens of people