April 3, 2002

by Richard S. Ehrlich


      BANGKOK, Thailand (EPN) -- A treason trial in Burma against the family of General Ne Win dooms another 20th century Southeast Asian dictator.

      But the charges -- punishable by death -- and the upcoming public trial are not expected to end Burma's political and economic misery any time soon.

      Gen. Ne Win, also known as Shu Maung, was born in 1911.

      He was largely responsible for turning the potentially wealthy, France-sized nation into a ruined, repressive, rebel-torn land.

      After seizing power in a 1962 coup, the eccentric, hermit leader dreamed up bizarre economic policies according to his superstitious belief in numerology.

      The weirdest was in 1987 when he cancelled all Burmese kyat currency notes and introduced fresh notes based on "lucky numbers."

      People would suddenly be handed a 90-kyat note, and be told they could only make change with 45-kyat and 15-kyat paper currency.

      Many people became bankrupt overnight, because the previous currency was quickly deemed invalid.

      He also used Orwellian secret police who engaged in extrajudicial killings and torture to keep society confined, according to the U.S. State Department, London-based Amnesty International and other human rights investigators.

      Gen. Ne Win proudly trumpeted his reign as, "The Burmese Way to Socialism."

      He stepped aside in 1988 when the military crushed a Tiananmen Square-style uprising by killing hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators.

      The regime allowed him to dwell in wealthy oblivion as a recluse in the capital, Rangoon, where he spent much of his time and fortune building a Buddhist pagoda to ensure a good afterlife.

      A few months ago, he went to Singapore for medical care.

      Gen. Ne Win may be granted permission to ask Singapore for asylum in an effort to quell possible outrage by his loyalists within the secretive military, diplomats said.

      Burma's military regime moved against his family more than three weeks ago.

      His favorite business-savvy daughter, Sandar Win, her husband and their three adult sons were snared by the junta.

      Sandar Win's husband and sons were charged with attempting a coup, which surprised diplomats and analysts who suspected the real problem was the family's attempt to profit from its status by ignoring the military's restrictive, monopolistic commercial regulations.

      The family was said to have been frustrated and insulted at not receiving special privileges and clearances to continue exploiting the shattered economy.

      Up until three weeks ago, international concern for Burma focused on the world's most famous political prisoner, Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

      Ms. Suu Kyi remains under virtual house arrest even though her National League for Democracy party won a landslide election victory in 1990.

      A treason trial, however, squelches any possible future battle for Burma by the country's two most powerful women -- Ms. Suu Kyi and Sandar Win -- which some analysts had been eyeing.

      The military regime, meanwhile, produced weapons, uniforms and other items it insisted were amassed by Gen. Ne Win's family to stage a coup.

      The family allegedly tried to recruit soldiers to kidnap three top generals so the family could become a monarchy.

      The regime found "a golden embroidery" illustrated with various creatures and symbols -- including a crowned peacock, a tiger, a lion, a fish, three swords and a harp -- according to the government-controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

      "The lion represents her [Sandar Win]. The holding of a symbolic dagger denotes controlling and giving instructions to the three brothers," it added, referring to her sons.

      The "peacock represents Ne Win...the emblem form parts of royal regalia, and it seems as if they were creating a royal family. In the light of it, it can be assumed that the family of Ne Win was trying to turn themselves into a royal family.

      "It seems that if they managed to seize state power, they would establish the monarchy and try to maintain family power for life."

      Several military officials and other influential people were also arrested in connection with the alleged plot.

      Within Gen. Ne Win's family, however, only his son-in-law and three grandsons were immediately arrested and charged.

      "They will be put on open trial for high treason," Deputy Intelligence Chief, Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win, told a news conference, referring to Aye Zaw Win and his three sons.

      Gen. Ne Win's daughter Sandar Win was merely placed under house arrest.

      She will also stand trial if evidence proves she was involved with her husband and sons in the plot, Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win added.

      The trial will begin when extensive investigations are complete.

      Some diplomats suspect the trial might not start until Gen. Ne Win dies, because then the aura of untouchability will vanish from his surviving family members.

      His daughter, now in her 50s, is widely considered to be the brains of the clan.

      Sandar Win is a gynecologist who treated women in the military before using her connections to establish a lucrative conglomerate of hotels, health care and telecommunications.

      Alleged corruption involving mobile telephones and cars will form part of the trial against the family, official reports said.

      Many Burmese expressed delight that Gen. Ne Win's family was suffering some of the abrupt treatment he meted out against his countrymen while in power.

      The trial is reminiscent of 25 years ago when Gen. Ne Win executed the masterminds of an alleged coup plot against his reign.

      In some ways, Gen. Ne Win's fate also mirrors that of another former 20th century Southeast Asian dictator, Indonesia's Suharto.

      Both men were good friends and inspired each other's political efforts to remain in power while their families enriched themselves, shielded by a corrupt, brutal military.

      Suharto now languishes in ill-health while his playboy son, "Tommy," is in prison awaiting trial for allegedly assassinating a judge.

      Another of Gen. Ne Win's contemporaries, the Philippines' late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was also undone in part by his family's lavish spending, especially by his wife Imelda who later faced corruption charges in court.

      Today, Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world.

      In an effort to crush all dissent, the regime forbids the public from using fax machines, email, Internet and the right to travel abroad.

      The media, economy, politics and all other aspects of society are tightly controlled.

      The government, meanwhile, fired at least four senior military officers, including two regional commanders, in connection with the alleged coup plot.

      More arrests and dismissals were expected in the coming weeks.

      "Brigadier General Chit Than, the regional commander of the [opium-rich] Golden Triangle area which borders China and Thailand, was axed because he allowed the family to import cars from Thailand without import licenses, according to a senior military source," the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported.

      Though Gen. Ne Win and his daughter remained under suspicion, they were not immediately charged with any crime.