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Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on Monday (February 1), overthrowing the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Here’s a look at the events of the past week.
Military vehicles on a blocked road near Myanmar’s parliament in Naypyidaw on February 4, 2021 AFP / STR
YANGON: Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on Monday (February 1), overthrowing the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
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.
Here’s a look at the events of the past week.
February 1st: Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other top figures from his National League for Democracy (NLD) are detained in a morning raid.
The army declares a state of emergency for one year and says it carried out the arrests in response to an alleged election fraud, handing over power to the army chief, Min Aung Hlaing.
The NLD publishes a statement on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi written before she was detained, urging people to protest the military coup.
The board dismisses 24 ministers and deputies, naming 11 replacements.
Aung San Suu Kyi. (File Photo: AP / Aung Shine Oo)
READ: Myanmar army seizes power and declares state of emergency for one year
February 2: Min Aung Hlaing said at the first meeting of his new government that it was inevitable that the army would have to seize power after its protests over alleged electoral fraud.
Horns and pans of beaten vehicles are heard in Yangon after dark in protest against the coup.
Facebook removes a page linked to Myanmar’s military-owned television network in a move to protect itself from harm, according to a spokeswoman.
The noise of pots and pans, and the sound of car horns, echoed in Yangon on Tuesday night after calls to protest spread on social media AFP / STR
LEE: The head of the Myanmar army says the coup was ‘inevitable’
February 3rd: Staff from 70 hospitals and medical departments in Myanmar stop working to protest the coup. Others wear red ribbons as part of a civil disobedience campaign.
The NLD office in various regions of the country is raided and documents, computers and laptops are taken.
Myanmar police press charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and seek her detention until February 15. A police document says that military officers who searched Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence found six portable radios that were illegally imported and used without permission.
Charges are also brought against President Win Myint for violating protocols to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The government orders the blocking of Facebook, as well as its Messenger and WhatsApp services, for the sake of “stability.”
Medical workers with red ribbons pose during a protest against the coup that toppled elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, at Yangon General Hospital in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 3, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer
READ: Myanmar Police Bring Charges Against Ousted Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Under Import Export Law
February 4: A group of protesters wave banners and chant slogans against the coup in Mandalay in the first such street protest against the army’s seizure of power. At least three are arrested.
The United Nations Security Council calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and others detained by the military, but falls short of condemning the coup.
US President Joe Biden says Myanmar’s military should relinquish power and release officials and activists in his first foreign policy speech.
Another prominent figure from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, Win Htein, 79, is arrested.
READ: Biden Demands Myanmar Military ‘Give Up Power’
February 5th:Teachers and some government workers join the Civil Disobedience movement, saying they will not work for the authorities unless the elected government is reinstated.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer says he has not been able to meet with her because she is still being questioned. Call for the immediate release of her and President Win Myint.
Japanese beverage group Kirin Holdings says it is ending its alliance with Myanmar Economic Holdings Public Company (MEHL), which has ties to the military.
A professor from Yangon University of Education participating in a demonstration against the military coup looks at red ribbons in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 5, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS / Stringer)
READ: Protests against Myanmar coup d’état grow as army expands internet crackdown
February 6th: Orderly lockdown on Twitter and Instagram, where protesters had been sharing information. Board then ordered the shutdown of the entire Internet.
Tens of thousands of people take to the streets to protest the coup in Yangon and other cities.
Supporters show a three-finger protest salute as four arrested activists make a court appearance in Mandalay, Myanmar, on February 5, 2021 (Photo: AP).
READ: Comment: Myanmar’s military never intended to give up power
February 7th: The protests are spreading across Myanmar, with tens of thousands in Yangon and elsewhere in the largest show of mass anger since the 2007 protests that helped lead to democratic reforms.
Internet access is restored, but social media platforms remain blocked.
People demonstrate at a protest against the military coup and to demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 7, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer
