IN WHAT COULD be a harbinger of things to come in Myanmar, in bloody turmoil, a chartered flight from the country landed in Vientiane, Laos’ capital. Rumours have been rife, right through the day, in the strife torn country that the military junta supremo, Senior General Than Shwe’s family was planning to leave Myanmar.

 

The family of eight was said to have boarded Myanmar ’s Air Bagan flight, which landed in Vientiane at 6 p.m. (local time) on Thursday.

 

The chartered flight carried eight passengers. Than Shwe’s close associate Tayza, a business tycoon in Myanmar, owns the airline.

 

The passengers were said to be close relatives of Than Shwe including his wife Daw Kyaing Kyaing.

 

The junta is likely to pass off the departure of the family to merely a visit to Laos.

 

Political observers feel that Than Shwe and his family left the country in the wake of large-scale violence, which left nine people dead, according to the state run media. The actual deaths might be much higher, according to unconfirmed reports.

 

Letting loose terror on peaceful monks did not go down well with a section of the junta. Did the heat become too much for Than Shwe to handle? Political developments in strife-torn Myanmar would certainly unfold many truths.