Power rift: In this 2018 file photo, Suu Kyi attends a meeting with General Hlaing. AFP
MYANMAR’s military staged a well-planned bloodless coup a week ago, overthrowing democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but the ripples created by the coup in the region can be more wide-ranging and worrying.
The military is back in power after allowing Myanmar to enjoy around a decade of difficult democracy, fought tirelessly by Suu Kyi’s camp in one of the world’s poorest countries.
From 1962 to 2011, Myanmar was under direct army rule. After the democratic transformation took place in 2011 under external pressure, the military gradually gave up most of its political power.