The World - News from July 28, 1988

Sein Lwin was elected president of Burma the day after being named chairman of the ruling Burma Socialist Program Party, succeeding Ne Win, who resigned from the party leadership. A one-day emergency session of Parliament also elected Tun Tin, formerly deputy prime minister, as prime minister, replacing Maung Maung Kha. In a Cabinet reshuffle, all but two of the 22 posts were filled by active or retired military officers. Sein Lwin is a hard-liner known for his suppression of dissidents, and Western diplomats said his rise could lead to more of the anti-government protests that have broken out in the last several months.