Jan 27, 2005 (DVB)

The situation within the Burmese army is still complicated after the 'assassination' of the top General Maung Aye's secretary Lieutenant-Colonel Bo Win Tun in Rangoon on 21 January. (boxun.com)

It is still not known clearly how Bo Win Tun was killed. But a close relative of his told DVB today that the relatives were told by the military HQs in Rangoon that he was killed by "a bullet which was accidentally let out by another army officer". But they were not allowed to view the remains of Bo Win Tun and they are still not informed who that army officer who "let out the bullet accidentally". The authorities of Burma's military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) still haven't taken action on the matter.

Many kinds of rumours are flying back and forth in Rangoon and the local residents are speculating that there are serious splits within the army.

To make the matter worse, top SPDC leaders have not been seen on TV and newspapers during these days. Apart from General Thein Sein who is busy with the resumption of National Convention, the absences of Generals Than Shwe, Maung Aye, Shwe Mann, Soe Win, Khin Maung Than, Maung Bo and Aung Htoe are significant, according to political observers in Rangoon.

According to the latest reports, although Bo Win Tun was the only one killed on the spot during the shootout on Friday, sources close to the military HQs told DVB that many people could have been wounded. The sources also said, around 11pm on the night the incident occurred, spurts of gunfire were heard at the HQs and three military ambulances were seen rushing towards the scene.

Sein Win/Mizzima News January 28, 2005

Rangoon residents have been showing an unusually keen interest in the government-owned media lately, including the New Light of Myanmar, TV news and radio, particularly over the last week.

They are waiting to see what will come out of these propaganda machines concerning rumours that the military junta's top set have been in shake up.

Residents say top generals, junta head Senior General Than Shwe, deputy head of state General Maung Aye, General Thura Shwe Mann, Prime Minister General Soe Win and some generals have disappeared from media coverage for a week now. This is highly uncharacteristic as the generals love nothing more than to parade their activities publicly.

Yes, people say it is true; no activities of the top four generals have been reported since January 13.

Accoriding to popular rumours, the critical tensions between Than Shwe and his supporters and Maung Aye and his backers peaked at the junta's regular fourth quarter meeting on January 13, which lead to the death of 42-years old Bo Win Tun, the personal assistant of General Maung Aye.

An opposition radio broadcaster, the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma also reported that Bo Win Tun had died, either by assassination, suicide or in an attempt to protect Maung Aye.

Official media reports also encourage people to believe there is currently a crisis. It reported that Bo Win Tun's funeral had taken place but did not disclose how he died in the line of duty.

"You see, yesterday the Prime Minister, Soe Win, was [apparently] arrested. Today General Shwe Mann and some others were [apparently] arrested. Tomorrow will be Than Shwe's turn. These are come out from border area," said a Burmese journalist based in Bangkok.

Although he rejected these rumours as totally unfounded, generally people in Rangoon believe something serious is going wrong between top generals.

"Something is happening. Maybe a split is looming again. They [the generals] have disappeared from the TV screen," said a Rangoon resident. "Commodity prices are rising with this news," he added.

But local journalists and opposition politicians and diplomats in Rangoon are keen to keep quiet. A veteran politician who usually dares to speak out against the ruling military council, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) said, "There is no clear information yet, we need to wait for a while."

Stories of splits within Burma's military junta are not strange to Burmese people.

Before Khin Nyunt, former Prime Minister and powerful head of military intelligence, was ousted last October by Than Shwe, rumours of power struggles spread often.

Now, everyone is asking one another, "What is the latest development in the Na Ah Pha (SPDC)" in Rangoon?

BANGKOK (AP) - Political tension has erupted among the leaders of military-ruled Myanmar, but no coup d'etat has taken place, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Friday.

Thaksin was responding to reporters' questions about rumors of a leadership change that have been sweeping the Myanmar capital, Yangon, in the past few days.

"I was informed that there is political tension in Myanmar," said Thaksin, who added that the information was confusing and still being checked.

"There is tension and conflict but not at the level of a coup d'etat," he said.

Myanmar officials have not commented on the rumors.

Thaksin's comments are significant because Thai officials were first to announce that Myanmar's former prime minister, Gen. Khin Nyunt, was ousted last October. Myanmar officials later confirmed the statement.

The rumors of political tensions among Myanmar's military rulers have been fueled by the disappearance of reports in state media about the activities of the prime minister, Lt. Gen. Soe Win, who took up the job just last October.

The last report about Soe Win was a picture that showed him at a Jan. 11 meeting with visiting Indian officials, though his signature has since appeared on letters congratulating foreign countries on their national days.

Diplomats in Yangon said they expect Soe Win to lose his position, though it was unknown what differences he may have with the rest of the military leadership.

Adding to the sense of political unease is the unexplained death of Lt. Col. Bo Win Tun, the personal assistant to Gen. Maung Aye, the junta's second-ranking leader after Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

His obituary, published in two state-run newspapers, said he passed away on the night of Jan. 21 "while serving the country." It said he would be cremated "with military honors" at the capital's main military cemetery. Although it is widely believed that he took his own life, for reasons unknown, a report by the opposition Democratic Voice of Burma radio station, based in Norway, suggested he died in a shootout.

Soe Win succeeded Gen. Khin Nyunt, whose removal from office was announced on Oct. 19 last year under murky circumstances.

The original announcement said Khin Nyunt was "permitted to retire for health reasons," a euphemism used in the past for the forced ouster of Cabinet members.

Junta leaders later accused him of insubordination and being responsible for a major corruption scandal involving his subordinates.

The move against Khin Nyunt was widely believed to be engineered by hardline junta members opposed to his relative tolerance of the pro-democracy movement of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The mysterious death of Vice Senior General Maung Aye's close aide on Friday had upset one of the business circle's key links to Burma's No.2 man, according to sources in Rangoon.

"(Lt-Col) Bo Win Htun had the ear of (Gen) Maung Aye," said a Thai businessman based in Rangoon.

Sources said people with business propositions used to approach the general through Daw Theingi Soe Thein, Bo Win Htun's wife, who is the headmistress of Dagon Middle #2, a school attended by children of Rangoon's high officials. "Anyone who wanted to curry favor with her used to come to her school with donations such as computers and air-conditioners," said another source. "She would then persuade her husband who would in turn try his best to bring it home to Maung Aye."

Daw Theingi is said to be a daughter of a retired army officer. Before moving to Dagon Middle #2, she was headmistress of Kamayut Primary #2, another school attended by top officials' siblings. "Both schools, unlike others, are guarded by the military," said a businessman. "Daw Theingi even has her own armed bodyguard." (boxun.com)