Burma Leader Resigns After 17-Day Reign

Burmese President Sein Lwin, the hard-line socialist and brutal authoritarian who took power 17 days ago, resigned Friday in the wake of a 5-day uprising that diplomats say left hundreds of people dead.

His resignation, announced in a two-paragraph statement on official Rangoon Radio, was an apparent victory for protesters who staged four days of massive demonstrations demanding his ouster as leader of the Southeast Asian nation of nearly 40 million people. The demonstrations were sparked by serious inflation, shortages of essential goods, and government repression.

Sein Lwin took power July 26 after longtime Burmese ruler Gen. Ne Win stepped down, saying he felt “indirectly responsible” for riots earlier this year in which more than 100 people were believed killed.

Impact Uncertain

Ne Win, who submitted his resignation July 23 as head of the Socialist Program Party--Burma’s only legal party--had been a dominant figure in Burma for 40 years. His policy of isolationism transformed the once-wealthy nation into one of the world’s poorest, triggering unrest.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Charles Redman said U.S. officials “can’t predict what impact Sein Lwin’s resignation will have on demonstrations or the shootings of protesters.”

“Again, we hope the violence will stop,” Redman said. He said the U.S. Embassy in Ragoon has remained open, and there were no reports of Americans being injured or arrested.

Tourists and diplomats said there were reports of gunfire in Rangoon Friday, but Radio Rangoon said the capital was quieter than Thursday.

“There were very few incidents of demonstrations by mobs or acts of violence in the Rangoon military administration area today,” it said.

The radio reported looting in more than 12 Rangoon locations and said authorities detained “some persons” to “prevent acts of destruction, looting and arson.”

Tourists arriving in Bangkok from Rangoon Friday night said road and rail links between the capital and the rest of the country had been severed and the city could not be entered.

The official Radio Rangoon said Sein Lwin requested and received permission from the central committee of the Burmese Socialist Program Party to resign from the posts of president, party chief and Parliament member.

“Sein Lwin has submitted a letter of resignation as chairman of the state council, from the position of the president of the state, and representative of the People’s Assembly,” the radio said, quoting from a statement signed by an official identified as Thura Kyaw Htin, secretary of the state council.

Resignation Accepted

The statement said Sein Lwin’s resignation from all three positions was accepted, effective the same day.

There was no immediate word of who would succeed Sein Lwin. The radio said an extraordinary session of Burma’s legislature was scheduled for Aug. 19, but gave no other details.

Analysts said Kyaw Htin and Aye Ko, vice chairman of the council, were believed to be the leading candidates to succeed Sein Lwin. Both men are considered more acceptable to the public than the retired brigadier general, who was notorious for his harsh repression of dissent.

However, both, like Sein Lwin, come from a military background and served long and faithfully in the socialist system that brought the country to the brink of economic collapse and political chaos.

Victory for Protesters

Sein Lwin’s resignation signaled victory for Burmese demonstrators who fought highly trained troops with rocks, slingshots, spears and gasoline bombs. Aside from Sein Lwin’s ouster, the demonstrators also demanded freedom for political prisoners, a multi-party system and respect for civil rights.

Diplomats have said they believe about 1,000 people were killed by army troops trying to suppress the protests, but said the toll could be higher or lower by as many as 500. Diplomats also said thousands more were injured or imprisoned.

The official death toll in the violence, however, was set at nearly 90 people.

At least 20 people were killed Thursday as troops battled more than 10,000 anti-government protesters who braved gunfire to trap security forces and torch government buildings.

Words Stir Anger

One diplomat contacted by telephone from Bangkok before Sein Lwin’s resignation said many Burmese were angered at a radio announcement Thursday night by Prime Minister Tun Tin.

The prime minister, after a special meeting of the executive committee of the ruling Burma Socialist Program Party, promised only to give “very serious consideration and to concede as much as possible to the demands that are within the framework of the law.”

Throughout the unrest there were persistent, unconfirmed reports of soldiers’ refusing to following orders and of troops joining the demonstrations.

Military Chief of Staff Saw Maung charged that the demonstrators had been infiltrated by “unscrupulous covert saboteurs” who had incited the violence.

Numerous witnesses and diplomats, however, said the demonstrations that began Monday were peaceful and well-disciplined until the army started firing on protesters late Monday night.