Myanmar President Thein Sein had tried and failed at least twice before to topple his archrival Shwe Mann, but when armed police burst into the headquarters of the country's ruling party late on Aug. 12 he finally succeeded.

Police piled the mobile phones and computers from those inside on a desk and then stood by as the president's supporters met to enact an order from Thein Sein to replace Shwe Mann as chairman of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

By reasserting his grip on the party, Thein Sein boosted his own prospects of retaining the presidency while dampening optimism among those inside and outside the former Burma who hope for a quickening of reforms after an election in November.