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YANGON: Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday (February 1) in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy party (NLD) 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.
Live Updates: Aung San Suu Kyi and Other Myanmar Leaders Arrested
READ: Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior party figures detained by the army
A Myawaddy TV host made the announcement, citing a section of the military-drafted constitution that allows it to take control in times of national emergency.
He said the reason for the inauguration was due in part to the government’s failure to act on allegations of electoral fraud by the military in last November’s elections as it did not postpone the elections due to the coronavirus crisis.
Telephone lines to the capital Naypyitaw were unavailable and state television stopped broadcasting hours before parliament sat down for the first time since the NLD’s landslide election victory in November, seen as a referendum on the fledgling democratic government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Soldiers took up positions at the city hall in the main city of Yangon and mobile internet phone and data services in the NLD stronghold were disrupted, residents said. Internet connectivity had also dropped dramatically, the NetBlocks monitoring service said.
People walk past Yangon City Hall in Yangon on February 1, 2021, following reports that the Myanmar military detained the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the country’s president, in an apparent coup de state. (Photo: AFP / STR)
Explainer: Crisis in Myanmar after army alleges election fraud
The arrests of Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders came after days of intense tension between the civilian government and the army that raised fears of a coup after the elections.
Myanmar lawmakers were due to meet in the capital Naypyitaw on Monday for the first session of parliament since last year’s elections.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, is by far the most dominant politician in the country and became the country’s de facto leader after leading a decades-long non-violent struggle against the military government.
His party won 396 of 476 seats in the upper and lower houses of parliament combined in the November elections, but the army holds 25 percent of total seats under the 2008 army-drafted constitution, and several key ministerial positions. they are also reserved for military appointees.
The army, known as Tatmadaw, accused that there was massive electoral fraud in the elections, although it has not provided evidence. The state Union Election Commission last week rejected the accusations.
This is a developing story. Please update for updates.
