A severe cyclonic storm struck the Irrawaddy delta around Bassein in May 1975. Almost two months later an earthquake wrought havoc on the pagodas of Burma's ancient capital city of Pagan. In traditional times such natural disasters would have been interpreted as bringing ill omen to the r?gime. In fact the Ne Win Government, since it came to power in 1962, has been plagued with problems of economic stagna tion, insurgency and, more recently, political unrest in the towns. In order to get a proper picture of the ills that affect the state, it would be worthwhile to quote a lengthy extract from a report of a broadcast over Rangoon Radio on 13 July, 1975. The broadcast commented on a notification issued by the Council of People's Justices urging the Burmese courts to pass stiffer sentences on persons found guilty of various crimes. According to the notification of the Council of People's Justices: