Than shwe daughter wedding

…is fast becoming an Internet phenomenon. Part “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, part authoritarian home video – there is something for everyone in this widely downloaded 10 minute slice of dictatorial life. But be warned: it could amuse, bemuse and cause outrage. Thandar Shwe is, of course, the daughter of Senior General Than Shwe, the Burmese junta supremo.

To sate your curiousity, the video of what has been dubbed the “Wedding of the Year” is now available from The Irrawaddy.

As ostentatious as it all is, much in this short film will not be surprising. Some scenes, like the sequence of bedroom shots, which begin at around the 8: 10 mark, are, however, a bit of a shock. We even see footage of Thandar Shwe being cheered to her bridal chamber by a gaggle of supportive relatives and friends. In the bedroom, the closeups of intricate craftsmanship, on both furniture and jewels, are worth dwelling on. And dwell they do.

Real questions remain about the video’s appearance on the Internet, and its relationship to power politics within the Burmese regime’s inner-circle. If anybody has any potential answers, don’t be shy about posting comments. It would be great to get some discussion going on Burma’s military elite and the implications of this video.

Thanks to Amnuayvit for the links and for prompting me to highlight this unusual window into the life of Southeast Asia’s least celebrated first family.

A front-page headline of a local Myanmar-language journal dated January 20 reads “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Feels Uncomfortable with Marriage Ceremony of U Win Htein’s Son” entitled to highlight an interview with Monywa Aung Shin, Secretary of the Central Information Committee of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

While the interview deals with extensive topics covering a range of subject matters that include the current political scenario and media freedom, it goes for the said title apparently to snatch immediate public curiosity, taking chance of a recent high-profile debate. Indeed, the wedding of the son of senior NLD executive member Win Htein came to a war of words as it evoked public memories of an ill-famed lavish reception thrown by head of the government Senior General Than Shwe for his daughter’s marriage in then military-ruled Myanmar. The ceremony took place in mid-2006 when the country was under the authoritarian regime with the people enduring countless woes suffered from the oppression and incompetence leadership of the military. The reception came to the public’s awareness through a leaked 10-minute video which spread online via YouTube at a stage Myanmar was still digitally impoverished.

The clip showed a marriage ceremony boasting extravagant luxury furnished with splendid jewellery and costly wedding gifts, participated by military community figures and elite guests in their finest clothing and most expensive jewels. Plus the visible gifts, the liberality at the wedding reportedly included luxury cars and houses worth a total of $50m which was not seen in the clip. The video later found a colloquial name ‘Star-studded Night’ largely due to the glittering jewelled clusters in the hair of the bride, Thandar Shwe, wearing diamond studs in her ears along with at least six thick strings of what is believed to be diamonds. The reception, widely reported in Southeast Asian newspapers, aroused cla

Thandar Shwe and army major Zaw Phyo Win actually married in July, but the video has only recently come to light.

In one 10-minute clip, shown on the internet site YouTube, the couple pour large quantities of champagne and stand before an ornate, golden bridal bed.

Thandar Shwe was shown draped in what appear to be expensive jewels.

The newly-weds were reportedly given $50m-worth of wedding gifts, including, cars jewellery and houses.

Most Burmese will not see the video, since internet use inside the repressive country is restricted.

But some of those who have seen the video, both inside and outside Burma, viewed the wedding as a tasteless extravagance in an otherwise poverty-stricken nation.

One local reporter told a Thai newspaper that people were asking themselves where the money came from.

"It's outrageous, just outrageous, especially when you consider that most Burmese live in extreme poverty," Aung Zaw, the editor of Irrawaddy, a publication run by Burmese journalists in exile, told Reuters news agency.

Than Shwe himself is seen in the video, walking stiffly at his daughter's side in traditional Burmese dress - a rare glimpse of him out of military uniform.

The video was later removed from the YouTube site.