Taking care of business: the coup in Myanmar is partly about protecting the economic interests of the military elite

By Htwe Htwe Thein, Associate professor, Curtin University

The actions of the Myanmar military in arresting members of the government in dawn raids on February 1, the day parliament was set to convene, have been met with shock and dismay both within the country and around the world.

Why would the military stage a coup to depose a democratically-elected government of which it had been part? Why do it just before the government began a second term?

There are several plausible explanations, but one that has not received enough attention is the desire of the military to protect its wealth and business interests in Myanmar.

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