Monday marks 71 years since Myanmar - then called Burma - signed an agreement with the British government, releasing it from colonial rule.

So began decades of civil war as the military tried to enforce its control over the ethnically diverse nation.

Aung San Suu Kyi's release from 15 years of house arrest in 2010 and her subsequent election victory in 2015 promised much.

However, even now, under a democratically elected government, it's the military that's dictating the course of national politics.

TRT World's Katie Arnold has more.