Burma Warned of Anarchy as Violence Grows

Burma’s military commander today warned the nation that it faces anarchy, and official media said 15 more people were killed and 81 wounded as anti-government violence spread to Rangoon’s suburbs.

“The people are now facing anarchy of the violence-makers,” said Army Chief of Staff Sau Maung in a Radio Rangoon broadcast.

The state-owned radio said demonstrators were preparing firebombs and planning to “escalate” violence. The radio said the 15 people were killed and 81 wounded in Rangoon today. That brings the official death count from violence throughout the country since Tuesday to about 95.

Government offices, police stations and railway stations also were destroyed and rice warehouses looted, it said. But the broadcast said only one large demonstration was held in the Rangoon area today when 1,000 people rallied in the suburb of North Okkalapa.

Mounting Protests

The protests against the authoritarian rule of new President Sein Lwin are the worst since Burma’s democracy was overthrown 26 years ago.

Burmese leaders were believed to have met in an all-night emergency session to discuss ways to cope with the nationwide turmoil, Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported today.

The agency said Buddhist leaders today appealed for calm in a statement printed on top of the front page of the state-run English-language newspaper The Guardian.

Travelers returning from Rangoon said the city of 3.5 million is barely functioning, with most shops and markets closed, few government workers reporting to offices and public transportation almost at a standstill. The city’s vital river port has stopped operating, and some diplomats said the city is running short of food.

The demonstrations are by far the largest since a coup by Ne Win ended democracy in Burma in 1962. Sein Lwin became president and head of the government party last month when Ne Win resigned.