Reports from Burma say the country's ailing prime minister has flown back to Singapore for medical treatment, just 10 days after he returned to the military-ruled nation.
Witnesses say General Soe Win left Rangoon on a commercial flight today - Sunday.
Soe Win had returned to Burma from Singapore on May third. He had spent about two months in Singapore receiving medical care. Burmese authorities have not mentioned what ails the general, but political observers suspect he has leukemia.
Soe Win is thought to be about 58 years old. He was appointed in 2004, after his predecessor Khin Nyunt, was purged from the military government for alleged corruption and insubordination.
Soe Win climbed through the government ranks after playing a prominent role in the bloody crackdown on democracy protesters in Rangoon in 1988.
Information for this report is provided by AFP and Reuters.