Myanmar protesters residing in Japan rallying outside the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, Japan. — Reuters
MYANMAR’S military controls vast business interests in mining, telecommunications, textiles, hotels and even beer. It faces no civilian oversight and can block changes to the country's Constitution. When it had to respond to international condemnation for its brutal repression of ethnic minorities, it trotted out members of its compliant civilian government to absorb the blame.
With such political and economic power, there seemed little for the military, known as the Tatmadaw, to complain about except for its lack of success at the ballot box, which it groundlessly blamed on voter fraud after elections in November.
