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Myanmar’s military has seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy party in morning raids.
The army said it had carried out the arrests in response to “electoral fraud,” handing over power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for a year, according to a statement from a military-owned television station.
A military spokesman did not respond to phone calls seeking further comment.
Telephone lines to the capital, Naypyidaw and Yangon’s main commercial center were not accessible, and state television stopped broadcasting hours before parliament sat down for the first time since the NLD’s landslide election victory in November. Considered a referendum on Ms. Suu Kyi’s fledgling democratic government.
Soldiers took up positions at Yangon city hall and mobile internet phone and data services in the NLD stronghold that we again disrupted, residents said.
Internet connectivity had also dropped dramatically, the NetBlocks monitoring service said.
Ms Suu Kyi, Myanmar President Win Myint and other NLD leaders had been “kidnapped” in the early hours of the morning, NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by telephone.
“I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act in accordance with the law,” he said, adding that he expected to be arrested himself. Later, Reuters was unable to reach him.
The arrests came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the army that raised fears of a coup after the elections.
The White House said that President Joe Biden had been informed of the arrest of Ms Suu Kyi.
In a statement, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if they are not reversed. this steps”.
The Australian government said it was “deeply concerned by reports that the Myanmar military is once again trying to take control of Myanmar” and called for the immediate release of the illegally detained leaders.
Japan said it was monitoring the situation and currently had no plans to repatriate Japanese nationals from Myanmar.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, came to power after an election victory in 2015 that followed decades of house arrest in a fight for democracy with the Myanmar junta that made her a an international icon.
His international reputation was damaged after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled army operations and took refuge in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state in 2017, but he remains very popular at home.
Political tensions soared last week when a military spokesman refused to rule out a coup before the new parliament meeting today, and military chief Min Aung Hlaing raised the possibility of repealing the constitution.
But the military appeared to back down over the weekend, issuing a statement on social media yesterday saying they will “do everything possible to adhere to the democratic norms of free and fair elections.”
Tanks were deployed in some streets last week and pro-military demonstrations have taken place in some cities ahead of the first meeting of parliament.
Myanmar’s electoral commission has rejected allegations of election fraud by the military.
The constitution published in 2008 after decades of military rule reserves 25% of the seats in parliament for the army and control of three key ministries in Ms. Suu Kyi’s administration.
Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asia during the Barack Obama presidency, who fostered close ties with Suu Kyi, said that another takeover of military power in Myanmar would be a severe blow to democracy in the region.
He said: “If true, this is a major setback, not only for democracy in Myanmar, but for the interests of the United States.
“It is another reminder that the prolonged absence of credible and consistent US engagement in the region has emboldened anti-democratic forces.”
Murray Hiebert, an expert on Southeast Asia with the think tank at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the situation was challenging for the new US administration.
He said: “The United States had joined other nations on Friday in urging the military not to advance its coup threats. China will support Myanmar as it did when the military drove out the Rohingya.”
John Sifton, Asia defense director at Human Rights Watch, said Myanmar’s armed forces had never submitted to civilian rule and called on the United States and other countries to impose “strict and direct economic sanctions” on military leaders and your financial interests.
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