European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Shangrila Frozen in time by Denis d. Gray associated press Urma s Quarter Century at self isolation and one Man Rule has produced a airing of contradictions a shattered Economy in a. Bountiful land marxist slogans mingled with Buddhist religious chants a people who move to the Pace of the Bullock cart while their neighbors harness computers. Casual visitors to Rangoon Are invariably enthralled. They return Home with descriptions of a Shangrila Frozen in Lime a throwback loan older traditional Asia last vanishing just about everywhere else in the shadows of skyscrapers and the Impact of traffic snarls and Western ideas indeed a Case can be made or Burma s ways. Crime and pollution Are minimal stress diseases Are uncommon and the extended family is still vital its strict neutrality has kept it out of International turmoil. Rangoon its Low Rise tree lined capital evokes nostalgia for Imperial Britain that left behind colonnaded edifices Riverside promenades and charming suburban bungalows. Buddy let pagodas Dot the Plains and Hills spirits roam the Rural imagination and even the poorest Farmers insist on inviting strangers in for a meal or Lea. But beneath these exotic surfaces Are increasingly harsh political and economic realities. Traditionally called the Golden land because of its Greal natural wealth and set upon a democratic course at Independence irom Britain in 1948, Burma today ranks among the 10 poorest countries in the world and is ruled by an authoritarian who has snuffed out All opponents and stilled initiative. U be win who Heads Burma s sole political entity the Burma socialist program party has proved one of the world s most durable leaders. The secretive. 75 year old strongman seized Power in a 1962 military coup and imposed an amalgam of marxist economics buddhism and military Rule. It is called the burmese Way to  thousands were jailed during be win s Early years in Power and potential challengers since have been purged. Be win who has never attended an International conference or been interviewed slammed shut Burma s door and has reopened it Only slightly in More recent limes. Foreign tourists now Are allowed into the country but they can stay Only a week and parts of the country Are off limits because of Burma s hidden wars a string of insurgencies by minority ethnic groups. The government has refused to allow joint private ventures with foreign companies and at the end of last year closed the offices of All japanese businesses in Burma even though Japan provides about two thirds of the country s Aid and Loans. Be win s Credo is state control of the Economy and military control of the stale. About three quarters of executive government positions Are held by Active or retired military officers. When a King goes into business tha country goes to ruin is an old saying burmese use to explain Why Burma is in such dismal shape despite its Fertility wealth of Mineral and Energy resources and a population of Only 38 million. Although be win s Burma never experienced the lift offs witnessed elsewhere on the continent there were promising signs in the Early 1980s, however Over the past Yaar the Economy and qualify of life have plunged to perhaps their lowest Levels the country s foreign debt is up to nearly s3 billion while hard currency reserves have plunged to $35 to $55 million or one month s Worth of imports. The annual per capita income is below $200 and prices have soared since Early 1986. With production slowdowns Western analysts and burmese sources say there is greater Reliance than Ever on the vast Black Market or Shadow Economy stocked with smuggled goods from nearby Thailand India China and Malaysia As Well As those siphoned Oil from government factories and stores. The average civil servant who has not had a wage increase or 11 years must rely heavily on the Black Market where Many prices Are pegged to an illegal Dollar Exchange Rale. A government worker can spend his monthly pay of 500 Kyat $75 at lha official rate of Exchange $12 on the Black Market for one pair of jeans and a can of Coffee tha Price of Rice a burmese Staple has doubled Over the past year to the equivalent of 3,5 cents a Pound at the free Market rate. Chicken is up 50 percent to 53 cents a Pound and fish also has increased by so percent to 62 cents a Pound. Those increases Are Small by Western standards but they Are sizable for burmese families with Low incomes. Beamm Diplomat and burmese sources say corruption has mushroomed and sporadic violence has flared in recent months. Urban unrest May grow in coming months in Rice comes in Short Supply Lor the people of what was once the world s largest Rice exporter. Things Are worse then i be seen at any time Taid or. Josef Silver Stern a leading american Burma scholar after a recent visit. But i still think be win is Strong enough to hold. There is no opposition leadership so the grumbling goes  despite a decade of rumours about be win s poor health there Are few signs that the Golf playing six Timas married Leader is giving up making decisions he s used to ranging from the sweeping to the trivial. Perhaps Rangoon s favorite guessing game is Afler be win who while a smooth transition of Power to president san you the no. Z Man in the Hierarchy is possible some Are betting on Post a win turmoil within the military. Those hoping Lor a More Liberal Burma Point to reported dissatisfaction among younger possibly pro Western. Officers in the Field. I m convinced the army is More fractured than to can see said Silverst Aln the author of several books on Burma. When be win goes ii will break open. Conflicting loyalties which were papered Over will  with All Media under total government control and All opposition parties banned it is difficult to plumb the depth of dissent. However open rebellion in the shape of a dozen insurgencies is in Lull play. The Contra cover men controls roughly two thirds of the country. The de Border areas Are in is hands of the burmese Imu nist parly plus an array of ethnic minority Gro. I. ?.-\ i autonomy and warlords who traffic in some of i in biggest opium and heroin bulk in the world none of these appear to pose an immediate threat to Rangoon but about 30 percent of the current budget has been assigned to Burma s 200,000-msmber military which often Bailies better armed rebels. Hundreds Are killed each year in the shadowy wars and the few attempts at negotiations in recent years have All broken Down another analytical exercise about be win s Burma is Why it has opted Lor isolation its of facial obsession with outside interference and internal Security. One answer is in the insurgencies. Another is Burma s colonial past and earlier economic exploitation by chinese and Indian residents. Some believe be win and his followers truly want to preserve burmese culture. Less charitable critics say keeping foreign influences out has kept be win firmly in the seat of Power. Rangoon Burma s capital. It a City of 19th Century buildings and Riverside promenades. Sunday. March 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17