myanmar is back in the headlines because of scenes like these the country is in turmoil after the military swept away the government the people voted for ansan tsuchi the democracy icon has been removed from power so how did we get here myanmar used to be known as burma and was a british colony until 1948 but from 1962 it was largely ruled by a military junta which crushed any opposition at least 3 000 people were killed in the pro-democracy movement in 1988. dozens more were killed in 2007 saffron revolution led by monks anzan tsuchi rose to prominence as one of the strongest voices of peaceful resistance as a result she spent years in and out of house arrest myanmar meanwhile became a pariah state suffering under international pressure but in 2010 as the military began loosening its grip on power ansan tsuchi was finally released five years later her party stormed to victory in the country's first democratic election in decades but she saw her popularity plunge overseas as she refused to stand up for myanmar's rohingya muslim minority her supporters said she was just trying to appease the military after all behind the scenes it still held enormous power at home she was still loved by the majority buddhist population and in 2020 her party won re-election by a landslide almost wiping out the pro-military opposition the army immediately began to allege voter fraud without offering any proof fears grew that the government might be overthrown once again and then on the first of february the people of myanmar woke up to a coup unfolding ansan tsuchi and other civilian leaders had been arrested mps have been rounded up and communication blocked the military announced a year-long state of emergency promising new elections but the people scared of returning to the dark days of the junta refused to be silenced slowly at first and then coming out onto the streets they demanded democracy be restored no one knows how this will end or even why the military chose to act when it already had so much power but everyone remembers the violence of the past you