Burma At the Edge of Anarchy

The government agrees to elections, but mass protests continue

Column upon column, they clogged the streets of Rangoon, cheering and clapping, chanting and waving flags. As the numbers swelled into the hundreds of thousands, representatives from almost all walks of Burmese life could be identified among the waves of protesters who marched 20 abreast through the capital. Roman Catholic priests and nuns paraded behind a banner proclaiming JESUS LOVES DEMOCRACY. Government employees brandished a MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS sign, while retired military men proudly unfurled a banner reading ASSOCIATION OF FORMER COMMANDERS AND OLD COMRADES. From self-identified housewives to state factory workers and students, all were there to demand "Dee-mah-cra-see!"

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