Top Myanmar general, 2 MPs killed in helicopter crash

Top Myanmar general, 2 MPs killed in helicopter crash
REUTERS

FEB 19: The man regarded as the fourthmost powerful member of Myanmar's military government and two cabinet ministers were among those killed in a helicopter crash on Monday, officials said.

Lieutenant-General Tin Oo, Secretary Two of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and Chief of staff of the army, was killed when a military helicopter crashed into the Salwin River in Kayin state, east of the capital Yangon.

An official said two cabinet ministers were also killed - Brigadier-General Lun Maung, minister at the Prime Minister's office, and Colonel Thein Nyunt, minister for the development of border areas.

It was not clear how many people had died in the crash, officials said. The helicopter was carrying several high-ranking military officials, some of whom had survived. No further details were available.

Sources said the crash was due to mechanical failure.

The area where the helicopter crashed is close to the border with Thailand, but is not near the region where bloody clashes broke out between the two countries' troops last weekend.

Tin Oo survived two apparent attempts on his life in the 1990s.

In April 1997 his eldest daughter was killed by a parcel bomb which the authorities said was mailed to his house from Japan. Tin Oo was at home at the time, but was not injured by the blast.

The government blamed the attack on Myanmar dissidents based in Japan, but opposition groups denied responsibility and said it was linked to a power struggle among Myanmar's ruling generals.

In December 1996 two bombs exploded at a Buddhist shrine on the outskirts of Yangon after a visit by Tin Oo.

The blasts killed five people and wounded 17. The government blamed ethnic Karen guerrillas, who denied responsibility.

Last month a senior government leader dismissed talk of a split in the SPDC over landmark talks with the pro-democracy opposition led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, secretary one of the SPDC and the country's powerful intelligence chief, told the Myanmar Times in an interview that rumours of a split within the ranks in the military had been spread by foreign media and some diplomats.

Rumours had circulated that part of the Myanmar military was unhappy about the secret talks with Suu Kyi, which began late last year.

One hawkish faction, led by SPDC vice chairman General Maung Aye, was said to be opposed to any weakening of the military's grip on power.

Earlier this month, government spokesman Lieutenant-ColonelHla Min issued a statement denying rumours that some dissatisfied members of the military had been planning a coup.