Myanmar’s military has seized power and declared a state of emergency for one year following days of escalating tension over the result of November’s parliamentary elections.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader, President Win Myint and other senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party have been detained in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Monday.
A video broadcast on military-owned television said power was handed to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, citing “huge irregularities” in November’s vote.
The power grab came as Parliament – in which the military is given 25 percent of the seats – was set to open in Myanmar.
Hello, this is Virginia Pietromarchi in Rome, Italy giving you the latest updates.
Reuters witnesses said that police in Thailand clashed with a group of demonstrators who took to the street against Myanmar’s military power grab.
At least two people were injured at the protest where about 200 people had gathered outside the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok.
The police arrested at least two people according to the Thai legal monitoring group iLaw.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) called for Myanmar to pursue “dialogue, reconciliation and the return to normalcy”.
Commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing had pledged to practice “the genuine discipline-flourishing multiparty democratic system” in a fair manner, the military said in an article on one of its official website summarizing a meeting of the new junta.
It gave no timeframe for elections, but earlier said its state of emergency would last one year.
Commenting on Myanmar’s coup, Pakistan Foreign Ministry said it hoped the two parties will “engage constructively”.
“We hope that all parties involved will exercise restraint, uphold the rule of law, engage constructively, and work towards a peaceful outcome,” read a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hundreds of Burmese demonstrators holding portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi gathered in downtown Tokyo outside the United Nations University, calling on the international body to further condemn Myanmar military’s actions.
“I’m worried (about my family), but more than them I’m worried about Aung San Suu Kyi,” Tin Htway, a 22-year-old Burmese restaurant worker who attended the protest, told Reuters.
Than Swe, president of the Union of Myanmar Citizen Association, said he wanted Suu Kyi and all of the other democratically elected leaders to be released immediately.
“The military needs to acknowledge the results of the 2020 (election) and stop what they are doing right now,” the 58-year-old told the news agency.Protestors gathered in Thailand’s capital Bangkok as well to voice their dissent against the military’s coup in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s health minister said he was leaving his post because of the “evolving situation” in the country.
In a message on the health ministry’s official Facebook page, Myint Htwe urged colleagues to continue to serve the population, especially with the coronavirus epidemic and vaccinations. He did not say whether his departure was voluntary or by force.
According to two lawmakers, security forces are guarding the residences of members of parliament in the country’s capital Naypyidaw.
Military trucks have blocked exits of the compound that contains the municipal housing where legislators live during house sessions, representative Sai Lynn Myat told Reuters.
Those inside were in good health but were not allowed to leave.
A senior leader of Myanmar’s NLD said the decision by General Min Aung Hlaing to stage a coup at a time when Myanmar was struggling with the pandemic showed personal ambitions rather than concern for the country.
“The country’s economy is going down. At this time, the fact that he conducted a coup shows that he doesn’t think about the future,” Win Htein said on a video posted on Facebook.
Human rights group Fortify Rights has called for the immediate and unconditional release of activists and senior officials, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who were arrested in early morning nationwide raids.
“The military needs to urgently de-escalate this situation and unconditionally free those detained today,” said CEO Matthew Smith.
“The military should lift any blocks on mobile communications and respect the right to free expression. Access to information is critical for the Myanmar public right now,” he said as authorities reportedly cut mobile communication signals.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs says it is concerned over the latest developments in Myanmar, adding that is was “closely” watching the situation.
“We have noted the developments in Myanmar with deep concern. India has always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar,” read a statement from the ministry.
“We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld. We are monitoring the situation closely,” it added. Here is a quick look at a few streets in Myanmar as the military seized power and declared a one-year state of emergency.
The UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined the chorus of voices condemning the latest developments in Myanmar.
“I condemn the coup and unlawful imprisonment of civilians, including Aung San Suu Kyi, in Myanmar,” Johnson said on Twitter.
“The vote of the people must be respected and civilian leaders released,” he added.
The army declared a one-year state of emergency in a video broadcast on Myawaddy Television (MWD) citing “terrible fraud” in last
November’s general election as a justification for seizing power.
China says it hopes all sides in Myanmar can manage their differences under the constitution and legal framework and uphold stability.
“China is a friendly neighbour of Myanmar and hopes the various parties in Myanmar will appropriately resolve their differences under the constitutional and legal framework to protect political and social stability,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily news briefing.
Wang said China, which shares a border with Myanmar, was still “furthering our understanding of the situation.”
European Council President Charles Michel condemned the military’s seizure of power in Myanmar and demanded that it release all those it had detained in raids across the country.
Criticism came also from Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, and the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell.
“I strongly condemn the coup in Myanmar,” Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter, and called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all those detained.
“The military junta that ruled Myanmar for decades never really stepped away from power in the first place … They never really submitted to civilian authority in the first place, so today’s events in some sense are merely revealing a political reality that already existed,” Sifton said on Twitter.
“The U.S. and other countries with sanctions regime should send a strong message today, by immediately revoking sanctions relaxations and imposing strict and directed economic sanctions on the military leadership and its enormous economic conglomerates; and pressing other key counties — including South Korea and Japan — to force businesses to divest. The Burmese junta doesn’t want to go back to being China’s vassal,” he added in another tweet.
The Rohingya community condemned the military power grab, according to its leader Dil Mohammed.
“We Rohingya community strongly condemn this heinous attempt to kill democracy,” Dil Mohammed told Reuters news agency by phone.
“We urge the global community to come forward and restore democracy at any cost.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expressing alarm about Myanmar’s military detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders.
“We call on Burmese military leaders to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on November 8,” Blinken said in a statement from Washington, DC.
“The United States stands with the people of Burma in their aspirations for democracy, freedom, peace, and development. The military must reverse these actions immediately.”
United Nations’ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the detention of Myanmar’s civilian leaders and expressed “grave concern” about all legislative, executive and judicial powers being transferred to the military. “These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms in Myanmar,” said a statement from the UN chief’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.
Guterres said the elections last November provided a strong mandate for Suu Kyi’s NLD to govern. The announcement that the military was taking control came on the first day Myanmar’s Parliament was to convene after the elections.
The military has argued the vote was tainted by fraud, but the elections commission last week rejected those claims as lacking evidence.
Malaysia has called on all parties to resolve any electoral disputes peacefully.
“Malaysia supports the continuation of discussion among Myanmar’s leaders to avoid adverse consequences to the people and state of Myanmar, especially in the current, difficult COVID-19 pandemic situation,” its foreign ministry said in a statement.
The NLD released a statement from its chief Aung San Suu Kyi, saying the military’s actions were unjustified and went against the constitution and will of voters.
A verified Facebook page for the NLD published comments it said had been written in anticipation of a coup, and which quoted her as saying people should protest against the military takeover.
“The actions of the military are actions to put the country back under a dictatorship,” it said. “I urge people not to accept this, to respond and wholeheartedly to protest against the coup by the military.”
