Myanmar's internal conflicts may heat up unless military gets smart The civil wars that have roiled the country for 73 years pose both a threat and an opportunity for military leaders Military vehicles move along a street in Mandalay on Feb. 2 as Myanmar's generals appeared in firm control a day after a surgical coup that saw democracy heroine Aung San Suu Kyi detained. (Photo: AFP) In the early hours of Feb. 1, when it was apparent that Myanmar’s feared military — known as the Tatmadaw — was rounding up the country most senior politicians in the first step of a lightning coup, respected historian and author Thant Mynt-U tweeted: “The doors just opened to a very different future. I have a sinking feeling that no one will really be able to control what comes next. And remember Myanmar is a country awash in weapons, with deep divisions across ethnic and religious lines, where millions can barely feed themselves.”