+ MIZZIMA BRIEF: Thai Prime Minister confirms reports of political tension riseing in Burma. Kachin Post: Vice-Chairman of juntas State Peace and Development Council Vice-Senior General Maung Aye was rounded up at undisclosed location in capital Rangoon and his office was closed down.Several sources suggest that there are signs of splits between top set up of military Junta. http://mizzima.com/ +
HEADLINES IN NEWS CLIPPINGS 01. Junta Dismisses Coup Rumors But Hints at Cabinet Shuffle 02. Media shows Myanmar top brass intact, deflating coup rumours 03. Coup rumours spread as key junta leaders 'disappear' 04. Thaksin Watching ‘Tension’ in Burma 05. Thaksin’s Comments on Burma Rumors ‘Significant’ ////////////////// 29/01/2005 01. Junta Dismisses Coup Rumors But Hints at Cabinet Shuffle Nyan Win denied Friday that a coup d(etat had taken place in the military-ruled country, but hinted at possible changes in the Cabinet. “No, no, no,” Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win said, responding to questions about rumors of a leadership change that have swept the country’s capital, Rangoon, in recent days. “It’s all just rumors,” he said with a laugh. “Everything there is fine.” Footage shown Friday night on Burma’s state television of the junta’s top two leaders and Prime Minister Lt-Gen Soe Win attending an official function together bolstered his assertion. Diplomats in Rangoon had said this week they were expecting Soe Win to lose his position, as unverifiable stories circulated of a power struggle that according to some accounts may have included a gunfight among the country’s military rulers. The three men at the center of the speculation—junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe, second-ranking Dep Snr-Gen Maung Aye and Soe Win—were shown on the first report of the evening news attending a meeting in Rangoon with ethnic minority students. The rumors of a shake-up had been fueled by an extended absence of reports in the state media until Friday about Soe Win’s activities. Thaung Tun, director general of the Burma’s Foreign Ministry’s Political Department, also said his country’s situation was stable. He and Nyan Win were in Thailand to attend a conference on a proposed Indian Ocean tsunami warning system. “In every country there are changes in the Cabinet,” Thaung Tun said without elaborating. “We do things in a measured way. Everything is normal.” Adding to the sense of political unease in Burma had been the unexplained death of Lt-Col Bo Win Tun, the personal assistant to Maung Aye. 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. Earlier Friday, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said political tension had erupted among leaders in neighboring Burma, but that no coup had taken place. “I was informed that there is political tension in Myanmar [Burma],” 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.” Burma’s former prime minister, Gen Khin Nyunt, was ousted last October and replaced by Soe Win. http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=4343&z=153 29/01/2005 02. Media shows Myanmar top brass intact, deflating coup rumours YANGON : Myamar's top three generals were pictured smiling together in state media, in what observers said was a calculated attempt to quash rumours of a coup or struggle at the pinnacle of power. Suspicion had swelled that political tension was once again boiling over in the secretive state just three months after the ouster of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt. Last week Lieutenant Colonel Bo Win Tun, the personal assistant to Myanmar number two Deputy Senior General Maung Aye, died under mysterious circumstances and was given a military funeral. Rumours swirled that he may have been assassinated, killed himself or died protecting Maung Aye, sparking talk of a power struggle resurfacing in Yangon. Western diplomats had noted the recent disappearance from public view of new Prime Minister General Soe Win, which led to reports he may have been placed under house arrest or fled the city. Saturday's state-run New Light of Myanmar and other newspapers published several photographs from the previous day depicting junta leader Senior General Than Shwe with Maung Aye and Soe Win. All three were shown, together in some photographs, wearing military uniforms and attending an annual student ceremony in Yangon. They were also pictured in traditional Burmese dress greeting the students at a banquet. "This is a calculated effort to show things are in order and it's an indication that these rumours are pretty much quashed," one observer in Yangon told AFP. Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, visiting the Thai island Phuket for a tsunami meeting, also reportedly dismissed speculation about the top brass. "Prime Minister Soe Win is still in office and fine. He is not under house arrest like Khin Nyunt," the Nation newspaper quoted him as saying. On Friday Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters "there has been some form of tension in Myanmar." He said he did not believe a coup had taken place but offered no details as to what may have happened. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/129781/1/.html 29/01/2005 03. Coup rumours spread as key junta leaders 'disappear' Rumours of a new coup in Burma are spreading as key Burmese junta leaders have disappeared from public view over the past two weeks. Unconfirmed reports say Gen Maung Aye, army chief and vice-chairman of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and several other senior junta members have been wounded in a military takeover. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday admitted there was ''some kind of political tension'' in Burma but declined to elaborate, saying it was still unclear what was really going on. Mr Thaksin brushed aside speculation there might be a new military coup in Rangoon but said Thailand was closely watching the situation in Burma. ''It is not clear yet as Burma is a closed society, but I admit there has been some form of tension in Burma,'' he told reporters yesterday. ''I don't think it was a coup but there have been tensions and preparations to do something.'' Mr Thaksin's remarks came one week after the death of Lt-Col Bo Win Tun, personal aide to Burma's No. 2 leader Gen Maung Aye. Lt-Col Bo Win Tun's obituary appeared in Burma's state newspaper on Sunday. It was reported he had been buried with full military honours, but it was unclear exactly how he died. Rumours were spreading in Rangoon that he was assassinated, killed himself or died trying to protect Gen Maung Aye. However, Burmese Foreign Affairs Minister Nyan Win, talking on the sidelines of yesterday's international tsunami meeting in Phuket province, dismissed the power play speculation, saying it was untrue. His participation in the meeting in Thailand meant the situation in Rangoon was still peaceful, he said. Thai security sources monitoring security developments inside Burma admitted to the Bangkok Post they had been aware of such reports from Burma since last week. A rumour was also spreading in Thai-Burmese border areas that Burmese Prime Minister Soe Win was killed in a gun battle, they said. ''We could not confirm anything yet and we are trying to verify such reports,'' said a leading Thai intelligence officer. He said the rumour was fuelled by the disappearance from public view of SPDC chairman Gen Than Shwe, Gen Maung Aye and Lt-Gen Soe Win in the past two weeks. The junta's mouthpiece, New Light of Myanmar newspaper, has mentioned nothing about Lt-Gen Soe Win's activities since Jan 12 when it reported the state visit by Bangladesh's Energy Minister Mosharraf Hossain who was greeted by Lt-Gen Soe Win. The SPDC chairman and Gen Maung Aye were last mentioned in the Burmese newspaper on Jan 10 when it said the two strongmen took part in the armed forces' golf party held in Rangoon. The rumoured gun battle said to have left Gen Maung Aye seriously wounded was supposed to have taken place on Jan 12 when Gen Than Shwe called an urgent meeting of cabinet members and senior SPDC figures. One source quoted an unidentified Asean diplomat as saying Lt-Gen Soe Win was arrested after his bodyguards opened fire on Gen Maung Aye, wounding him and killing Lt-Col Bo Win Tun. http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/29Jan2005_news04.php 28/01/2005 04. Thaksin Watching ‘Tension’ in Burma By Aung Lwin Oo Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters in Bangkok Friday that he had been informed about “political tension” in Burma, and said Thailand was watching the situation closely. Thaksin ShinawatraThaksin dismissed any suggestion that the tension had been triggered by an attempted coup in Rangoon, however. The Thai Prime Minister was reacting to persistent rumors of a bloody confrontation between Burma’s military rulers, as reported Thursday by The Irrawaddy’s online news service. State media carried no hint of trouble, despite some unconfirmed reports that an announcement of leadership changes was imminent. The rumors arose following the death under unexplained circumstances last Friday of a military aide to the regime number two, Dep Snr-Gen Maung Aye. A funeral notice said Lt-Col Bo Win Tun, 42, had died “on duty.” Speculation has also been fueled by the absence from the media for several days of any of the top triumvirate: the junta supremo, Snr-Gen Tan Shwe, Maung Aye or the Prime Minister, Lt-Gen Soe Win. The state media maintained its silence Friday. A leader of the Karen National Union, or KNU, speculated Friday that conflict had arisen between factions led by Maung Aye and an alliance of Than Shwe and Soe Win. “According to the information we’ve received today, Maung Aye’s status is not very good,” said Padoh Mahn Sha, KNU general-secretary. “It seems something unusual is going on.” Meanwhile, in Rangoon, some residents rushed to withdraw their deposits at Kanbawza Bank, which is owned by a Burmese tycoon, Aung Ko Win, also known as Saya Kyaung, a business friend of Maung Aye. Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win dismissed the rising tension in Burma. Nyan Winn, who arrived Thailand on Friday to attend Regional Cooperation on Tsunami Early Warning Arrangements in Phuket. The Burmese Foreign Minister insisted that the Prime Minister Soe Win is at his office. http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=4341&z=153 28/01/2005 05. Thaksin’s Comments on Burma Rumors ‘Significant’ By Sutin Wannabovorn/AP Writer Political tension has erupted among the leaders of military-ruled Burma, 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 Burmese capital, Rangoon, 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. Burmese officials have not commented on the rumors. Thaksin's comments are significant because Thai officials were first to announce that Burma’s former prime minister, Gen. Khin Nyunt, was ousted last October. Burmese officials later confirmed the statement. The rumors of political tensions among Burma’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 Rangoon 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 have been engineered by hardline junta members opposed to his relative tolerance of the pro-democracy movement of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=4339&z=153 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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