A retired army officer attached to Burma's embassy in Washington has reportedly disappeared with his family and may be seeking asylum.
Burma's official New Light of Myanmar newspaper accused retired Major U Aung Lin Htut Sunday of "an act of betrayal," but it gave no further details.
U Aung Lin Htut is said to have disappeared on Friday, together with his wife, Daw Tin Lay Nwe, a son, two daughters and a maid.
Analysts said the missing man had a military intelligence background, and they speculated that Rangoon may have assigned him to the United States to monitor the movements of exiled dissidents.
Information for this report is provided by AFP and Reuters.