Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist and ethnically diverse country, with the government recognizing 135 distinct ethnic groups and 108 ethnolinguistic groups. For most of its independent years, the country has been embroiled in rampant ethnic conflict, as well as increasing religious clashes. Since 1948, the Burmese army, which came to power in a 1962 coup d’état, has subjected many ethnic groups to forced labour, torture, rape, arrests and extrajudicial killings. The military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989 and moved the capital to Naypyidaw in 2005.
The Jihadist Threat in Myanmar
The Jihadist Threat in Myanmar
The Jihadist Threat in Myanmar
Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist and ethnically diverse country, with the government recognizing 135 distinct ethnic groups and 108 ethnolinguistic groups. For most of its independent years, the country has been embroiled in rampant ethnic conflict, as well as increasing religious clashes. Since 1948, the Burmese army, which came to power in a 1962 coup d’état, has subjected many ethnic groups to forced labour, torture, rape, arrests and extrajudicial killings. The military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989 and moved the capital to Naypyidaw in 2005.