DEADLY BOMB BLAST ADDS TO BURMESE T

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Subject: DEADLY BOMB BLAST ADDS TO BURMESE TENSION

Monday April 7 11:24 AM EDT 

Deadly Bomb Blast Adds to Burmese Tension

RANGOON (Reuter) - A bomb exploded at the house of one of Burma's top military
officials, killing his daughter and setting off a renewed security alert in
Rangoon,
sources close to the family and diplomats said Monday. 

The explosion at the home of Lieutenant-General Tin Oo, Secretary Two of the
ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and army chief of
staff, was
on Sunday night. 

"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. 

The daughter was 33 years old and the funeral was expected to be on Tuesday, a
diplomat said. A makeshift tent, presumably for a memorial service, was seen on
the grounds of Military Hospital Two where she was apparently taken after the
attack. 

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
been caused by a parcel bomb and occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday,
diplomats said. 

One diplomat said officials told him that Tin Oo was not injured in the attack,
although there were rumours he had been sent to hospital after the blast. 

Heightened security was apparent on Monday on Rangoon streets, mostly near Tin
Oo's home in an elite residential neighbourhood. 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." 

Burma's military government has been on top security alert since late December
when two bombs exploded at a Buddhist shrine in Rangoon, killing five people and
wounding 17. 

The government blamed the attack on the Karen National Union (KNU) guerrilla
group, which has denied responsibility. 

Tin Oo was the last major official to visit the sacred Tooth Relic Pagoda on
Christmas day before the two bombs went off. He and his wife went to the shrine
early on December 25, and the first bomb went off in the evening. 

Tin Oo is a hardliner and often gives speeches urging troops and citizens to
"annihilate" anyone who opposes the government or is seen as trying to undermine
the stability of the nation. 

Burma has been rocked by violence in recent months. Rare student demonstrations
in December were followed by the bomb blast at the Buddhist shrine. 

In mid-March, religious troubles broke out between Buddhist monks and Moslems,
and the government imposed a curfew and several restrictive measures in some
areas. 

The government had sent hundreds of troops to patrol the streets ahead of the
March 27 Armed Forces Day. Authorities said top officials fear a terrorist
attack
around that day, when all of Burma's top generals would be in the capital.