BANGKOK, Thailand — In an unexpectedly harsh ruling on Thursday, a court in Myanmar gave death sentences to the son-in-law and three grandsons of the former strongman, U Ne Win, for plotting a coup against the ruling military government.
Prosecutors said the plot involved black magic, soothsayers and three little dolls representing the country's three top generals and was hatched in the hope of restoring the influence of Ne Win's family.
With the verdict, it appeared that the military government was issuing a strong declaration of independence from Ne Win, who many analysts believed had continued to wield power behind the scenes long after he stepped down in 1988.
Some of the defendants shouted angrily that they would not appeal the sentence and accused their lawyers of being tools of the government. The lead lawyer, U Pun Sein, said he would try to persuade them to take advantage of their right to appeal within seven days.
Testimony in the case was almost entirely circumstantial and some analysts wondered how real or how serious the supposed coup plot had been.
According to testimony in the trial, the defendants had tried to enlist members of the armed forces in a plan to seize top members of the junta and hold them prisoner until they agreed to form a new, more amenable government.
In addition to the dolls, trial evidence included rubber truncheons, radios and uniforms, a haphazard collection that seemed to fit the amateurish plot presented by prosecutors.
Even if the plot was as serious as it was described, the rare death sentences seemed to be making a political statement against Ne Win, 91, who wrecked the country's economy and its liberal society after seizing power in a coup in 1962.
When his relatives were arrested on March 7, he was placed under effective house arrest in his lakeside villa, along with his favorite daughter, Daw Sandar Win, who was believed by many to have become the power behind the power behind the throne. It was her husband, U Aye Zaw Win, 54, who was sentenced on Thursday, along with their sons, U Aye Ne Win, 25, U Kyaw Ne Win, 23, and U Zwe Ne Win, 21.
Earlier on Thursday, another special tribunal found Aye Zaw Win and four others, including one son, guilty of illegally importing unregistered vehicles and satellite telephones, and sentenced them to jail terms ranging from seven to 56 years.
Last month, a military court sentenced more than 80 soldiers to 15 years in prison, accusing them of being involved in the plot. They were members of a regiment responsible for guarding Ne Win's 28-acre compound.
The grandsons had been high-profile figures in the capital, Yangon, driving flashy cars, picking fights in nightclubs and trading on the influence of their family name.
Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win, deputy chief of military intelligence, told reporters that the defendants admitted that government policies were hurting their businesses and that "they were unhappy as they are not enjoying the special privileges they had before."
In court on Thursday, the defendants seemed relaxed as they whispered and joked with each other. But local reporters said they seemed agitated as they were led out after the verdict. The oldest son, U Aye Ne Win, shouted at his lawyer: "I have not been able to see my mother since we were arrested. What are you doing about it? Since you have been hired by the authorities you may as well do their bidding."