THE MILITARY RULERS OF BURMA, also known as Myanmar, have a major fetish for numbers. They consult soothsayers before major decisions—on monetary policy, the location of their new capital, even when to launch a bloody crackdown on political protesters.

That’s what happened 19 years ago when the generals chose a most auspicious date (the eighth day of the eighth month of 1988) to crush a popular uprising and kill 3,000 protesters.

So far, nine people have died in Rangoon’s ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that began on Wednesday, following weeks of peaceful mass demonstrations led by thousands of Buddhist monks.

The number nine is big with the generals. In 1987, General Ne (“Number One”) Win destabilized the economy by switching the currency to new notes that were divisible by nine, his favorite number. This wise move wiped out the savings of millions of people and triggered the 1988 student uprising.

“Astrology, superstition, numerology has all been a part of life with us,” writes a poster on the Democratic Voice of Burma site. “But I must say we Burmese go to extremes.”

Following the advice of soothsayers—a throwback to its pre-Buddhist roots—the generals have taken Burma down the road to ruin. It’s now one of the poorest, most corrupt and repressive states in the world. The current leader of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, General Than Shwe, followed a fortuneteller’s advice when he picked an obscure jungle location, Naypyidaw, to build the new capital. A project that will bankrupt the country, even as he throws a $300,000 wedding for his daughter. His economic mismanagement (including doubling fuel prices) is what sparked the recent protests.

Asia holds its breath. Will the generals pull a Tiananmen Square at Shwedagon Pagoda? Will the regime finally crumble under the weight of its own evil? Will pre-Olympics China put the squeeze on its “vassal state,” as it’s been hinting at?

The answer lies not with China, nor with the UN. As we saw in 1988, international pressure and sanctions have no effect on an isolated regime like Burma. No, the answer lies with a far, far greater power. Numerology.

Here’s what the numbers say:

10 — Number of SPDC members who rule over 47 million people

45 — Number of years the junta has been in power

12 — Number of years Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s democratically elected leader, has been under house arrest in the past 18 years

10 + 45 + 12 = 67

6 + 7 = 13

1 + 3 = 4

And four is a number associated with death. Hear that General Than? Your number’s up! •