[ad_1]
YANGON: The Myanmar military announced on Monday (February 1) a purge of the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, removing 24 ministers and deputies and appointing 11 replacements to its new administration after taking power in a coup of state.
The announcement was made on Myawadday military television and included new appointments in the finance, health, information, foreign affairs, defense, borders and interior portfolios.
Live Updates: Aung San Suu Kyi and Other Myanmar Leaders Arrested
Explainer: Crisis in Myanmar after army alleges election fraud
The military seized power on Monday in a coup, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in morning raids.
The army said it had carried out the arrests in response to “electoral fraud”, handing over power to the military chief, General Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for a year, according to a statement issued by the television channel. military property.
Myanmar’s Acting President Myint Swe (center), Military Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (third from left), and other military members of the National Defense and Security Council attend a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw, on February 1, 2021 (Photo: AP / The True News Military Information Team)
Summarizing a meeting of the new administration, the military said Min Aung Hlaing has pledged to practice a “genuine multi-party democratic system that flourishes in discipline.”
He promised free and fair elections and a handover of power to the winning party, he said, without giving a deadline.
NLD CALLS TO PROTESTS
Aung San Suu Kyi’s party said it had asked people to protest the military’s takeover of power, citing comments it said had been written before a coup.
Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other NLD leaders were “captured” in the early hours of the morning, NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by telephone. Later, Reuters was unable to reach him.
READ: ASEAN President Brunei calls for ‘dialogue, reconciliation and return to normalcy’ in Myanmar
READ: Singapore seriously concerned by developments in Myanmar, closely monitoring the situation – MFA
A video posted on Facebook by a parliamentarian appeared to show the arrest of regional lawmaker Pa Pa Han. In the video, her husband pleads with men dressed in military garb outside the door. A small child can be seen clinging to his chest and crying.
The generals made their decision hours before parliament sat down for the first time since the NLD’s landslide victory in the November 8 elections, seen as a referendum on the fledgling democratic government of Aung Suu Kyi.
BREAKDOWN OF COMMUNICATION
Telephone and Internet connections in the capital, Naypyitaw, and Yangon’s main commercial center, were cut off and state television stopped broadcasting after the arrest of NLD leaders.
Troops and riot police stood on the sidelines in Yangon, where residents rushed to markets to stock up on supplies and others lined up at ATMs to withdraw cash. The banks then suspended services due to poor internet connections, but said they would reopen from Tuesday.
READ: Myanmar citizens in Singapore express disbelief at military coup at home, care for families
READ: US warns of response after military detains Myanmar officials
Foreign companies, from Japanese retail giant Aeon to South Korean trading firm POSCO International and Norway’s Telenor, were quick to reach out to staff members in Myanmar and assess the confusion.
The multinationals moved into the country after Aung San Suu Kyi’s party established the first civilian government in half a century in 2015, although persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority, which tarnished Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputation, drew some investors. distrust.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, came to power after an electoral victory that followed decades of house arrest and fighting the military, who had seized power in a 1962 coup and crushed all dissidents for decades.
