FACTBOX - Why Myanmar's generals stand firm

(Reuters) - After 46 years of unbroken military rule, many people both inside and outside Myanmar think it will take an act of God to get rid of the junta.

Here are some reasons why analysts say the generals are resisting pressure to open up to foreign aid and workers after this month's cyclone, and are unlikely to face serious unrest despite criticism over the handling of the disaster.

SURVIVAL COMES FIRST

Those living in the heavily populated Irrawaddy delta, where millions had homes or crops destroyed, will be far too busy rebuilding their lives and homes to worry about rising up.

"People are absolutely preoccupied with survival -- food, water, health, their relatives, getting their jobs back, rebuilding their houses," former Australian ambassador to Yangon Trevor Wilson said.

HEADS UP HAMMERED DOWN

Those elsewhere remember what happened when serious demonstrations erupted before, such as the bloody suppression of monk-led protests last September.

A Yangon taxi driver in Yangon put it succinctly. "There won't be demonstrations ... People don't want to be shot."

LUCKY MOVE FOR GENERALS