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AP-Nary A Glitch on 'All Nines Day'



Reply-To: "TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Thursday September 9 12:40 AM ET

Nary A Glitch on 'All Nines Day'
By ERIC TALMADGE Associated Press Writer

TOKYO (AP) - On the high-tech side, it was - as expected - a snoozer. And
the rumors of rebellion in secluded Myanmar appeared to be overblown.

But a rare alignment of nines on the calendar today provided an excuse for
thousands of superstitious people around the world to head out of town, try
a little gambling or even get married.

Some computer experts had warned of potential problems with old programs
that might mistake the date 9-9-99 with a code used to end an operation.

Though few had expected any serious malfunctions, the ``9999 bug'' was seen
by some as a possible dry-run ahead of the Year 2000 problem, in which
computers unable to properly handle the change from the year 1999 to 2000 on
Jan. 1 go haywire.

If today was any indication, the Y2K bug could be a breeze.

To be safe, the Bank of Japan added $2.7 billion worth of Treasury bills
Wednesday, and even more today, because of concerns that foreign banks might
be in need of cash should any computer problems arise.

But a bank official said that as of late this morning, there had been no
reports of problems.

Still, while the All Nines appeared to be shaping up to be just another day
in the computer world, it was anything but ordinary for thousands of
gamblers, eccentrics and lovers across the world.

The Japan Travel Bureau, this country's largest travel agency, commemorated
the date with a package tour for 99 people that included airfare to New York
or Orlando, Fla. for 99,999 yen (about $909).

In Malaysia, four-digit lottery ticket hawkers were on a roll, The Sun
newspaper reported, with ``9999'' being a hot bet at lottery outlets. And
999 senior citizens were to attempt to set a new - albeit obscure -
Malaysian record for the largest gathering at older persons in a circus.

Malaysian couples were also rushing to get married. Ninety-nine couples took
their wedding vows in a mass ceremony at exactly 9:09 a.m. at a Buddhist
temple in the capital of Kuala Lumpur. The number of Malaysian couples
registering to be married today was nearly three times the daily average,
according to the government.

A rush of weddings was also expected in Japan and China. And, not to be
outdone, a mass marriage was to be held at the monkey house of the Berlin
Zoo.

Bucking the trend was Taiwan, where a conflicting tradition - the end of
Ghost Month - makes many people consider Thursday to be bad luck. Along with
marriages, there were likely to be fewer people eating out there as well.

Not all of Nines Day was lighthearted.

Over the past few weeks there have been persistent rumors that activists in
Myanmar might be plotting an uprising to coincide with the Nines Day, which
they consider auspicious.

Apparently taking such rumors seriously, the Myanmar government had recently
detained 16 pro-democracy activists, and Thai troops on the Myanmar border
were put on alert.

The Thai government is concerned that fighting might erupt between Myanmar
forces and those of the Karen National Union, one of the last remaining
ethnic insurgency groups fighting the central government.