Sukhumvit Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Breaking News from Burma: Reports from Myanamar are that the military regime there has ousted PM General Khin Nyunt and placed him under house arrest on corruption charges. Seen as a moderate amongst the junta it is feared that his removal will tilt the balance of power towards the hard-line generals and stall reconciliation with the opposition led by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyu. Thailand's PM Thaksin is aware of teh next leader of Myanmar's identity but will not reveal the same until Myanmar has made an official announcement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCgringo Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 here is the BBC report http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3755052.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 The Nation Myanmar Prime Minister under detention, sources say Published on Oct 19 , 2004 Yangon (dpa) - Myanmar (Burmese) Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt has been placed under "protective custody" in a purge of the country's Military Intelligence (MI) that is expected to strengthen conservatives within the regime, military and diplomatic sources said Tuesday. Khin Nyunt, who is also MI chief, was arrested at about 5 p.m. Monday as he travelled by car from Taung-gnu in central Myanmar to Yangon (Rangoon), the sources said. All government ministers were summoned Tuesday morning to attend a meeting at the War Office for as yet undisclosed reasons. The news of Khin Nyunt's arrest could not be immediately confirmed by Western embassies in the capital. "There is definitely something going on concerning the prime minister but we're not sure what's going one," said one western diplomat. "The city is filled with rumours." The ruling military regime recently launched a purge of MI personnel that started in Muse, the Shan State. Several MI officers were tried on corruption charges and summarily given prison terms of 20 years by military courts, sources in Yangon confirmed. Khin Nyunt, once deemed among the country's most powerful generals in determining foreign policy, was in August 2003, "kicked upstairs" to the post of prime minister, a chiefly ceremonial job in a regime that is essentially run by a military clique headed by Senior General Than Shwe and Army Commander Maung Aye. Both Than Shwe and Maung Aye are deemed "conservatives" compared with Khin Nyunt, who was advocating a policy of gradual engagement with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has been under house arrest since May 2003. The demise of Khin Nyunt, following the recent "retirement" of former foreign minister U Win Aung, would signal an end to the military's half-hearted efforts to woo international sympathy from hostile western democracies and a return to isolationism the country embraced between 1962 to 1988 under former military strongman U Ne Win, western analysts said. "It seems to be that the clocks have been turned backward," said one diplomatic source. Myanmar, which was launched along the "Burmese Way to Socialism" by a military coup led by General Ne Win in 1962, followed a path of extreme isolationism from both western democracies and the communist bloc until 1988, when the country was rocked by mass protests and bloody crackdowns that left thousands dead. The mayhem prompted Ne Win to "retire" and to officially renounce socialism. His rule was replaced by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), a military junta whose leading members continue to run Myanmar today. The junta, while allowing a general election in 1990, refused to acknowledge the landslide victory at the polls of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, earning itself pariah status among western democracies such as the US and European Union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Just an internal power play. Business as usual will prevail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Is it going to be safe for me to visit Myanmar in January for 2-3 days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thalenoi Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 dean said:Is it going to be safe for me to visit Myanmar in January for 2-3 days? Sure enough, the generals are in power... :onfire: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 dean said:Is it going to be safe for me to visit Myanmar in January for 2-3 days? Myanmar is much safer for tourists as most SEA countries. have a nice trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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