(GNB Desk): On Monday morning, Myanmar’s military has taken power after detaining civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior government officials in a series of early morning raids.
Power had been handed to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, according to a statement on a military-owned television. The army said it had carried out the detentions in response to “election fraud”.
Hours after the arrests, military TV confirmed a state of emergency had been declared for one year.
Phone lines to the capital Naypyitaw and the main commercial centre of Yangon were not reachable, and state TV went off air hours before parliament had been due to sit for the first time since the NLD’s landslide election win in November, viewed as a referendum on Suu Kyi’s fledgling democratic government, Reuters report.
Reuters report, Suu Kyi, Myanmar President Win Myint and other NLD leaders had been “taken” in the early hours of the morning, NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told to Reuters.
The U.S., Australia and others issued statements expressing concern reports and urging Myanmar’s military to respect the rule of law.
“The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Statement by White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki on Burma
JANUARY 31, 2021 • STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
The United States is alarmed by reports that the Burmese military has taken steps to undermine the country’s democratic transition, including the arrest of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials in Burma. President Biden has been briefed by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. We continue to affirm our strong support for Burma’s democratic institutions and, in coordination with our regional partners, urge the military and all other parties to adhere to democratic norms and the rule of law, and to release those detained today. The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed. We are monitoring the situation closely and stand with the people of Burma, who have already endured so much in their quest for democracy and peace.
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