After a two-day visit during which Myanmar's ruling junta tried to stage-manage the world's top diplomat at every step, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon left the country July 4 with few prospects of even slightly loosening the iron grip on power held by the regime and its chief, Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

If people saw Ban acting independently in Myanmar "that would cause Than Shwe to lose face," said Donald Seekins, a Myanmar expert at Japan's Meio University. "So they want to manipulate him."