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Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking members of the country’s ruling party after several days of mounting tension over the results of a recent election.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s 75-year-old state councilor, President Win Myint and other members of the ruling National League for Democracy party were arrested at their residences in the capital Naypyidaw early Monday.
Later in the morning, the Myanmar military said it had taken control of the country and declared a state of emergency for a year, handing over power to Min Aung Hlaing, the powerful commander-in-chief of the army.
Residents of commercial capital Yangon and other cities said service for the country’s four telecommunications companies had been cut off, some Internet service providers were down, and terrestrial television service was restricted to the army’s Myawaddy television channel.
The military’s takeover came hours before Myanmar’s newly elected parliament met for the first time since the Nov. 8 elections, the results of which the military has contested.
Sean Turnell, an Australian academic serving as an advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi, confirmed news agency reports of the arrests.
“All the people in Naypyidaw have been isolated, so it appears that the reports about the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and the president appear to be true,” he told the Financial Times from Yangon.
Countdown to a hit
© Lynn Bo Bo / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
November 4th
Myanmar Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing accuses Aung San Suu Kyi’s government of “widespread violations” of pre-voting laws and procedures just before the national elections.
November 8th
The Aung San Suu Kyi National League for Democracy wins 83 percent of the seats available to it under Myanmar’s constitution. Army-backed Union, Solidarity and Development party alleges widespread electoral fraud
January 15
The USDP, having refused to acknowledge the election results, alleges 94,242 cases of voter fraud, including alleged irregularities in voter lists and identifications.
26 of January
Army spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun warns of coup, allegations of election fraud not addressed
January 28
Myanmar Election Commission Rejects Military Election Fraud Allegations
January 29
The UN and the embassies of several Western governments in Myanmar are issuing statements against any attempt by the army to alter the outcome of the elections.
January 30th
The army says it will protect the 2008 constitution and “act in accordance with the law”
February 1st
Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other government officials are arrested, telephone and Internet services cut off, and the coup launched.
Last week, the Myanmar military and Min Aung Hlaing suggested that they were ready to launch a coup after complaining about alleged irregularities in the November elections.
The NLD won the elections by an overwhelming majority, securing Aung San Suu Kyi a second five-year term in office. The military-backed Union, Solidarity and Development party was defeated but refused to acknowledge the results, backed by senior military leaders.
As tensions between the government and the army escalated last week, Myanmar’s electoral commission rejected allegations of election fraud by the military. A group of national election observer organizations that had monitored the vote said that while there were some shortcomings in the process, overall “the election results were credible and reflected the will of majority voters.”
On Friday, the UN and the embassies of several European countries and the United States issued statements saying they opposed any effort by the Myanmar military to overturn the election result.
However, on Saturday the military appeared to back away from the coup threat, saying they would comply with and protect the constitution.
The coup was a blow to democratic hopes in a country that was ruled by the military from 1962 to 2011, when Myanmar began its transition to democracy under a constitution that reserved three major ministries and 25 percent of parliament for those appointed by the army. The NLD took power in 2016 under a civilian government headed by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Thant Myint-U, a historian and author of several books on Myanmar, said Monday’s events opened the door to “an incredibly uncertain future.”
“Myanmar is a country awash in weapons, with millions of people in desperate poverty and deep ethnic and religious divisions,” he said. “The possibility of much more blood being shed than we have seen in recent years is not unimaginable.
The United States and Australia condemned the military’s actions on Monday. The White House issued a statement saying it was “alarmed” by the news of the arrests and said that national security adviser Jake Sullivan had briefed President Joe Biden on the situation.
“We continue to affirm our strong support for Burma’s democratic institutions and, in coordination with our regional partners, we urge the military and all other parties to adhere to democratic norms and the rule of law, and to release detainees. today, “said statement said.
The Australian government said it was “deeply concerned by reports that the Myanmar military is once again trying to seize control of Myanmar” in a statement from Marise Payne, the foreign minister.
Twitter: @JohnReedescribe
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