Let’s talk about the coup.
Myanmar is now run by a general after the military deposed the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
In a bizarre fluke part of the coup was even caught on video while a fitness instructor did her routine in front of parliament.
The army’s declared a state of emergency for the next year.
They’ve arrested politicians and shut down social media.
We asked you to send us your questions about what’s going on in Myanmar. So we got you some answers.
Let’s start by getting everyone up to speed with what’s been happening in Myanmar — what used to be called Burma.
Essentially this is about a rivalry between the military and a popular pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD party.
People in Myanmar were put through almost 50 years of military rule. The country was basically closed off to the world and international sanctions hurt.
There were recurring protests and violent military crackdowns while Aung San Suu Kyi made a name for herself as the face of the opposition.
She spent a total of 15 years under house arrest. Her efforts won her a Nobel Peace Prize.
Then came what people call Myanmar’s experiment with democracy.
There was a referendum, attempts at free elections and foreign investment increased.
In 2015 Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD party won in a landslide.
Which brings us to the coup and your questions.
The first one is — why now?
Well, the military says it had issues with the parliamentary elections.
In November the NLD won in another landslide — more than 80% of the vote.
But the military disputed the results, saying there was fraud.
So is there any proof of fraud? Well, no one’s saying the vote was perfect.
Which brings us to how the military got so powerful.
It’s because that power has come in handy for maintaining control.
Myanmar borders India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. It’s such a diverse country — it has more than 130 ethnic groups.
And ethnic divisions only got worse under Japanese and British rule. And then Burma got its independence.
So the military’s been in power but at one point decides to share control and create some kind of democracy.
So here’s the next question. Why is the military guaranteed 25% of the seats in parliament?
Well, it’s because in 2008 the military put it in the new constitution.
It also kept control of defence, interior ministries and key positions in the cabinet.
But it wasn’t just political control. They got into business too.
The military created two huge conglomerates made up of local and foreign companies.
Now because the military has had that much influence a lot of people saw Aung San Suu Kyi as a puppet.
So this viewer asks if that’s the case what difference does the coup make?
Well, her power was limited, that’s true.
Suu Kyi was disqualified from being president because her children were born abroad. That was also a clause written into the 2008 constitution.
To get around that she created the role of state counsellor for herself.
And while she was in power Aung San Suu Kyi didn’t really criticise the military, something that was really obvious when it came to the crackdown on the Rohingya.
They’re a stateless, Muslim minority who live in Rakhine state, where the army says it’s been carrying out a counterterrorism offensive.
But the UN and others have described it as a campaign of genocide and crimes that include killing children, raping women, burning homes —
basically using fear to push out more than 800,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh.
And yet Aung San Suu Kyi defended the military operation.
Now Suu Kyi is back in detention.
So what do the majority of people in Myanmar think about what’s going on?
Well, some seem to back the military, also known as the Tatmadaw.
But the fact is Aung San Suu Kyi is by far the most popular.
And they’re protesting. These are some of the biggest crowds since 2007. And they’re spreading across the country.
Some activists started what they call a civil disobedience movement — honking horns, banging pans and giving a three-finger salute.
But the internet is being periodically shut down and more and more people are being arrested.
OK, so why go through all that trouble? Why did the military stage this coup now?
Well, the thing about Myanmar’s military is it’s closed and secretive. So we don’t know for sure.
But the man who gave the order is Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
One theory is that he and others were worried about plans by the new government to bring in reforms, like changing the constitution.
The NLD had tried it before. That failed because of the military’s 25% hold on parliament. But it’s thought to have angered the military.
But there’s another theory and it’s that Min Aung Hlaing was acting in his own self-interest.
So which world powers back the military’s decision?
Well, countries like Russia and China have a close relationship with the military and both blocked a UN resolution condemning the coup.
But pretty much everyone wants Myanmar to get back on track.
The military has said it’ll be in power for a year.
But the right mix of incentives and pressure could convince the generals to turn things around and reinstate some form of democracy.
One thing going for Myanmar is that they’ve done it before.
Things are moving in Myanmar and that’s why Al Jazeera is staying right across what’s happening there.
So check out our website, aljazeera.com, which has all the latest and I’ll see you next week.