Alaungapaya crushed the Mons and founded his capital at Yangon in 1758. He then went on to exert his power over Assam and Manipur in India as well as attacking Thailand. The Burmese first encountered the British (in India) in 1824. The Treaty of Yandabo was signed in 1826 and the Burmese were forced to surrender the Rakhine and Tanintharyi coasts. The Japanese invaded Burma during World War II and set up a nominally independent Burman regime. They appointed Dr Ba Maw to oversee the administration of the country. This action angered the Burmese Independent Army which had been formed with the support of the Japanese to defeat the British. The army then formed an anti-Japanese resistance movement. Under the leadership of Aung San, the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) forced the Japanese out of Burma in 1945. Finally, Burma gained independence in 1947, but Aung San was assassinated just one year later. The next few years saw several governments trying to restore order, but all without success. Anti government riots began to increase and once again the military seized control under the name of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). The SLORC officially changed the name of the country from Burma to Myanmar in 1989. The military junta ruled with a severe hand causing the deaths of hundreds of people and faced with international opposition agreed to a call for free elections. This was carried out in 1990 and the National League for Democracy (NLD) under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the assassinated Aung San, won the elections by a large majority. However, the SLORC refused to hand over administration to the NLD and continues to govern Myanmar till today. Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. | 
