Junta’s head family said to have fled from capital Electric News / September 30, 2007
Unconfirmed reports say the family of Myanmar's military Senior General Than Shwe has fled to neighbouring Laos.
On Thursday evening a chartered AirBagan flight landed in the Laotian capital Vientiane carrying eight special passengers.
The VIPs were all members of the general's family, one website reported, quoting a military source. The group included the general's wife, Daw Kyaing Kyaing.
Air Bagan is owned by Gen Than Shwe's close associate Mr Tayza, a business tycoon.
It is said that not all in the junta are happy with the crackdown on protesting monks and citizens in Yangon.
Speculation is that Gen Than and ViceSenior-Gen Maung Aye, his second in command and the commander-in-chief of the army, have disagreed over the way the unarmed monks were attacked.
'Maung Aye and his loyalists are opposed to shooting into the crowd,' a source close to the military hierarchy told Mizzima.com.
Very little is known about Gen Than, 74. He is widely viewed as the major stumbling block to national reconciliation and the restoration of democracy.
MODERATE TO HARDLINE
The former postal clerk was initially considered relatively moderate, but in recent years he has become increasingly hardline - refusing any sort of negotiation with the democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and reportedly acting against former prime minister Khin Nyunt, who was arrested after proposing dialogue.
He is said to be superstitious and frequently consults astrologers.
Last year, a leaked video showed an extravagant wedding he conducted for his daughter. The video shows his daughter wearing a collection of diamond-encrusted jewellery and extravagant clothing and receiving expensive gifts at a reception. The gifts handed to the general's daughter and her husband reportedly were worth more than US$50 million ($74m).
His deputy, Gen Maung, 69, has a reputation for being more ruthless. Stories abound that the two leaders are rivals.
But they share a dislike for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 62. It is rumoured that General Than cannot even say her name, while General Maung is believed to have been behind an attack on her convoy in northern Burma, from which she barely survived.
However, Irrawady News website reported diplomatic sources saying that Gen Maung is due to meet Ms Suu Kyi.
The security presence in Yangon yesterday was the heaviest yet, reported the BBC.
Troops sealed off key religious sites in the city, including the Shwedagon and Sule pagodas - the focal point of some of the larger protests earlier in the week.
ROADS BLOCKED, INTERNET CUT
All the main roads into central Yangon have been blocked. Information from Myanmar has become increasingly patchy with Internet access being cut off in Yangon.
Sources told the BBC that international handphone signals have been interrupted and soldiers are searching people for cameras and handphones.
Some in Myanmar told the BBC that the government was sending bus-loads of vigilantes into the main city to attack the demonstrators.
They said a temporary holding pen had been set up at an old race course for the huge numbers of people detained in recent days.
The atmosphere is said to be extremely tense. There is a palpable sense of fear on the streets. The government said 10 people have been killed since the violence began earlier this week, but diplomats say the toll is likely much higher. Dissident groups have put the number as high as 200, although that number could not be verified.
