Burma Politics

When KoLatt lies down to sleep in his modest room in Alhambra after a long day's work as a packer, he often pictures the magnificent rain forests and sun-drenched beaches of his beloved Burma. More often than not, however, his memories of the lush jungles and tranquil waters are pushed aside by another image--the bloodied faces of his classmates, slaughtered by soldiers during the 1988 pro-democracy protest at the University of Rangoon.

When KoLatt lies down to sleep in his modest room in Alhambra after a long day's work as a packer, he often pictures the magnificent rain forests and sun-drenched beaches of his beloved Burma. More often than not, however, his memories of the lush jungles and tranquil waters are pushed aside by another image--the bloodied faces of his classmates, slaughtered by soldiers during the 1988 pro-democracy protest at the University of Rangoon.

Hundreds of Burmese--some estimates put the number in the thousands--rallied in central Rangoon on Friday after an unprecedented denunciation of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the military government, diplomats said. They said tension was high in the capital after a government news conference Thursday in which Aung San Suu Kyi's party was equated with the banned Communist Party. The military of Burma--which the government is now calling Myanmar, according to a decree last week--said it would take steps if the politician's party "remained confrontational."

Hundreds of Burmese--some estimates put the number in the thousands--rallied in central Rangoon on Friday after an unprecedented denunciation of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the military government, diplomats said. They said tension was high in the capital after a government news conference Thursday in which Aung San Suu Kyi's party was equated with the banned Communist Party. The military of Burma--which the government is now calling Myanmar, according to a decree last week--said it would take steps if the politician's party "remained confrontational."