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Five killed execution-style in Yangon neighborhood

Five people were killed in execution-style shootings in the wealthy Yangon neighborhood where Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is under house arrest, police said yesterday.

A couple, their two daughters and a maid were shot inside their home on Monday afternoon, police said.

"About 1,000 lakhs [US$1,000] was taken from their home," a police official said on condition of anonymity.

Family friends said all five had been shot in the head.

The shooting happened near the State Guesthouse, a military facility that has been the venue for recent talks between Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and a liaison officer for the military government.

The guesthouse is also where the democracy leader has been allowed to meet with UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari on his previous visits to Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi lives just a few blocks away from the house where the shooting take place, making the killing all the more unusual because the area is under constant guard.

Although Myanmar has been at civil war for about six decades, shootings in Yangon are extremely rare.

Ordinary citizens are not allowed to own weapons, and firearms are strictly controlled by the regime.

Gambari is expected to arrive tomorrow for his third visit since a September crackdown by the ruling junta on pro-democracy protests, the UN said.

UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said on Monday that Gambari "hopes to stay as long as necessary and to consult with a broad range of representatives of Myanmar society, including all the groups which he was not able to see during his last visit."

Details of the program were being discussed with the Myanmar authorities, Montas said, adding that: "Mr Gambari looks forward to the continued cooperation of the Myanmar government."

Gambari has been seeking the release of political prisoners -- including Suu Kyi -- as well as a dialogue between the government and opposition.
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