Many in Burma Say Ne Win Continues to Pull the Strings (original) (raw)
World|Many in Burma Say Ne Win Continues to Pull the Strings
https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/13/world/many-in-burma-say-ne-win-continues-to-pull-the-strings.html
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- Sept. 13, 1988
Credit...The New York Times Archives
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September 13, 1988
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Shortly before the announcement Saturday that free elections would be held in Burma, official cars were seen entering Ady Road, where the country's retired strongman, U Ne Win, maintains a lakeside residence behind heavy military guard.
Mr. Ne Win himself has not been seen in public since he announced his surprise resignation July 23, and it is impossible even to confirm that he is still in Burma.
But after some initial confusion, few people in Rangoon now appear to have any doubt that the 77-year-old former general remains as firmly in control of the Government as he has been since he seized power in a coup 26 years ago. Growing Skepticism
Diplomats say this sense has fueled a widespread mistrust of the Government and of the apparent concessions it is making in the face of broad-based, nationwide protests.
On the streets of Rangoon, the diplomats find a suspicion among the Burmese that such moves are little more than maneuvers by the men who have manipulated them for so many years.
''Whatever changes they announce, it all means nothing as long as Ne Win is still there,'' said a diplomat in describing the prevailing attitude. Large Protests Continue
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