Diplomats played down talk of political tension in Myanmar on Friday after Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he had heard rumors of a possible coup plot in the military-ruled southeast Asian nation. "I've heard there has been preparation for something. We are verifying," Thaksin told reporters after being asked about rumors of political violence in the former Burma. He said tension had grown in the upper echelons of the ruling junta, which purged prime minister and military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt in October, but said he doubted whether it went as far as a full-blown coup attempt. "I don't think it has gone that far, but there seems to be some tension rising now," said Thaksin, whose spokesman was the first to break news of Khin Nyunt's dismissal.
