Seven killed in blast at fair

A bomb planted at a fair celebrating the ethnic Karen minority's New Year holiday killed seven people and wounded 11, Burmese state media reported today.

The bomb exploded on Wednesday evening near food stalls at a festival ground in Hpa-pun in northern Karen state where celebrations were under way for the lunar Karen New Year, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper reported.

Burma's tightly controlled state media typically reports violence several days after it occurs.

No one claimed responsibility for the blast, which the newspaper blamed on rebels from the Karen National Union (KNU).

The KNU has been fighting for more than 60 years for greater autonomy.