Top official's daughter killed in Yangon blast
Top official's daughter killed in Yangon blast
YANGON (Agencies): A bomb yesterday exploded at the house of one of Myanmar's top military officials, killing his daughter and setting off a renewed security alert in the capital.
A bomb exploded at the house of Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, Secretary Two of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and Chief of Staff, Army, on Sunday night.
Sources close to the family said Tin Oo's eldest daughter was killed in the blast.
The bomb went off in the bedroom of the general's wife, Khin Than Nwe, who was absent at the time, the source said.
The daughter, Cho Le Oo, was speaking on the telephone in the room and took the full force of the blast, the source added.
"We heard there was a bomb blast yesterday night at the house of Secretary Two and his eldest daughter died because of the blast," one source close to the family told Reuters.
Government officials confirmed the attack but would not say if Tin Oo's daughter was killed.
"The incident is correct. It is still under consideration and we will send you the details," a spokesman told Reuters. When asked about Tin Oo's daughter he said information on the subject would be issued later.
Another person might also have been injured in the blast, which was said to have occurred at about 8:30 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Sunday, one diplomat said. Officials did not say if Tin Oo was in the house at the time of the blast.
Heightened security was apparent on Yangon streets yesterday. Armed troops and police stood on many streets although they were not seen stopping pedestrians or vehicles.
"This just adds to all the other tensions," said one diplomat. "Now there are streams of troops in the streets."
"The big question now is who did this," said another diplomat. "Not only is it disgusting but it raises all sorts of questions about terrorism and national security."
Myanmar's military government has been on top security alert since late December when two bombs exploded at a Buddhist shrine in Yangon, killing five and wounding 17.
The government blamed the attack on the Karen National Union (KNU) guerrilla group, which has denied responsibility.
Tin Oo is one of the hardliners in the government, and often gives speeches urging troops and citizens to "annihilate" anyone who opposes the government and anyone seen trying to undermine the stability of the nation.
Some sources said suspicion had fallen on ethnic guerrillas of the KNU.
Tin Oo toured captured KNU bases in southern Myanmar last week in the region of Minthamee, near the border with Thailand.
However, Mahn Sha, KNU joint first general secretary, denied that the rebel group was responsible for the attack.
Reached by AFP's Bangkok bureau at the Thai border, Mahn Sha said he believed the blast was the result of internal differences within the SLORC.
Myanmar has been rocked by unrest over recent months, with rare student demonstrations in December followed by the bomb blast at the Buddhist shrine.
In mid-March religious troubles between Buddhist monks and Moslems erupted and the government imposed a curfew in some areas and several restrictive measures in an effort to curb the violence and unrest.
The government had sent hundreds of troops to patrol the streets ahead of the March 27 Armed Forces Day. Authorities said top officials feared a terrorist attack around that day, when all of Myanmar's top military brass would be together in the capital.