A VIP Hideout in Naypyidaw

Military intelligence sources in Burma have revealed that a bunker has been built
near the homes of junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe and his second-in-command,
Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye. The bunker was built in Naypyidaw, the regime’s
capital since 2005, as a shelter for top military leaders and their families in the
event of an invasion or civil war, the sources said.
Constructed by military engineers to house as many as 100 people, it includes
office facilities and a tunnel wide enough for two cars. Military officers who
visited the bunker said that it was easily accessible in a military patrol jeep.
The cave is further evidence of the junta’s siege mentality, which went into
overdrive earlier this year when US naval ships approached Burmese waters to
offer humanitarian assistance to victims of Cyclone Nargis in May. The VIP
hideout was specifically designed to withstand an airborne assault and provides
both living space for the generals and their families and a command center. It
was reportedly constructed with the assistance of foreign technicians, including
North Koreans.
Naypyidaw is strategically located between Burma’s Pyinmana and Pegu
mountain ranges, in an area once controlled by Communists and Karen rebels,
who used the region as a base for their efforts to overthrow the government in
Rangoon.