It wasn't the govt. It was the military who are independent of the government. It was and is led by Min Aung Hlaing. This is what the West fails to understand. The military wrote the constitution. They have unelected seats in parliament. They are authorized to act in any way they deem fit. Also, in a twist of irony the same military is now arming the Rohingya guerrillas, training them and they are now allies fighting the other ethnic armies. So while the Western media and its consumers want simple black and white picture of evil vs good, the picture is more complex.