Burma President Orders Martial Law in Capital

Burma’s new president, hard-liner Sein Lwin, declared martial law in the capital after thousands of masked students marched through downtown Rangoon on Wednesday in a continuation of protests against his assumption of power.

Rangoon Radio, monitored in Bangkok, said a state of emergency and martial law was imposed after seven days of scattered anti-government demonstrations, culminating in the march by hundreds of people through the capital Wednesday.

Western diplomats reached by telephone in Rangoon said an estimated 3,000 students paraded through the city, their faces covered with handkerchiefs, stockings and other masks so authorities could not identify them. They reported no violence and said police were not in evidence.

The martial law order was signed by Sein Lwin, who took over as chairman of Burma’s ruling party last week from veteran leader Ne Win and became president.

Diplomats said student leaflets called for a national strike next Monday and speculated that the crackdown was a preemptive move.

The decree did not say whether a curfew was imposed on Rangoon’s 3.5 million inhabitants.

Students had demonstrated, delivered speeches and spread pamphlets at Burma’s most sacred shrine, the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, since July 28, the radio said. Security forces took over the pagoda and sealed it off from students Tuesday, diplomats said.