Burma junta leader rumoured ousted in coup

Aug 24, 2005 (Reuters) - Rumours swirled in army-ruled Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Wednesday that junta strongman Senior General Than Shwe may have been removed, but Thailand's foreign minister said it was only speculation.

Reports suggested Than Shwe, head of a military junta which has ruled the former Burma in various forms since 1992, had been ousted by number two General Maung Aye.

A Thai intelligence official said he had heard the rumours, but nothing was confirmed.

"We've heard Maung Aye has seized power from Than Shwe, citing allegations of corruption and his involvement in illegal trade of weapons," the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

He said Thura Shwe Man, the number three general in the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), had been assigned to investigate Than Shwe's alleged crimes.

However, Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon told reporters; "So far, everything is just a rumour. I am still sticking to my plan to visit Myanmar late this month." The Thai language newspaper Phuchatkan reported on its Web site at manager.co.th that Maung Aye, the army commander-in-chief, was rumoured to have ordered Than Shwe detained at a Yangon hospital on Tuesday.

"Gen Muang Aye has taken over power since midnight on August 23. However, there has not been any official announcement in this regard from the Burmese government," the newspaper said in its report, which cited Thai intelligence sources.

The former Burma has been ruled by the military in various guises since a coup in 1962 and is reviled in the West for its alleged human rights abuses and confinement of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi since May 2003.

Yangon says it is moving towards democracy along a seven-stage roadmap it unveiled in August 2003.

However, few take its rulers seriously, especially while Suu Kyi languishes under house arrest and her party is effectively excluded from talks to draw up a new constitution, which are set to resume in December.

Than Shwe, 73 and an expert in pyschological warfare, seized the junta leadership in 1992 with the help of General Khint Nyunt, who was ousted as prime minister and military intelligence chief last October.