But in October of this year, in the latest escalation of violence, armed factions in three major regions launched a simultaneous attack in what has become known as the 1027 offensive. On the face of it, it is an unequal fight with the military controlling the major urban areas and much of the modern economy and enjoying the backing of China and Russia. This has triggered armed resistance, not just in Rakhine, but in the border regions adjoining Thailand and China. In February 2021 the generals seized back control, deposing the democratic government in a coup.

It was on its watch that the most violent campaign against the Rohingya was launched in 2017. In 2011 they embarked on a program of opening up that led to election of a democratic government. The dominant force in the country since independence has been the military, which between the 1960s and the late 1980s imposed a socialist regime, and have since migrated to a crony capitalism. Myanmar is a patchwork of ethnic groups that in many cases have been caught in violent struggle for decades.

Casino 1995 where to watch