junta since 1962, and between 1974 and 1988 was effectively ruled (but effectively) by General Ne Win, who suppressed political dissent with autocratic laws and military force. Ne Win's economic policy was especially disastrous
characterised by extreme isolation. Not only that, but he was also corrupt-as crooked as a 9 nine dollar bill.
The general was a keen numerology enthusiast, and when his personal astrologer and Numerologist advised him that his lucky number was 9 and he would live to be 90 if he placed the number all around
him, he announced one day that he was reissuing the Kyat(Burma's currency) in notes which were multiples of 9 and that, by the way, now made everyone's decimal-system life savings entirely
worthless. In a rather pleasing numeric twist, this conversion was one of the major catalysts for the he '8888 uprising'
which began on August 8, 1988, Ne Win however, never got his wish - he died in 2002, at the age of 91.
Kyat is the monetary unit of Burma(Myanmar) equal to 100 pyres.
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