Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi detained as military takes control ‘for a year’

Boris Johnson has called for civilian leaders to be released amid a chorus of international condemnation
Michael Howie1 February 2021

Myanmar's military has carried out a coup after detaining the de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.  

The military said it was taking control of the country for a year as soldiers reportedly took to the streets of the capital Nay Pyi Taw, and the main city of Yangon.  

Commanders have alleged massive voting fraud in last year’s election, which was won by Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.

The military said it would hold a new election at the end of a one-year state of emergency.

The coup was declared on Monday morning on the military-owned Myawaddy TV.

The Irrawaddy, an established online news service, reported that Ms Suu Kyi, the nation's top leader, and the country's president, Win Myint, were detained overnight.

News of the military coup has been met with a chorus of international condemnation.

Myanmar Coup: In Pictures

THAILAND-MYANMAR-POLITICS
1/18

The UK Government’s  social care minister Helen Whately said they were “very concerned”.

"It is clearly an extremely worrying situation in Myanmar. We are monitoring the situation closely," she told Sky News.

The United Nations’ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the coup as a ”serious blow to democratic reforms".

“All leaders must act in the greater interest of Myanmar's democratic reform, engaging in meaningful dialogue, refraining from violence and fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” a spokesman said. 

MYANMAR-POLITICS
Soldiers standing guard on a blockaded road to Myanmar's parliament in Nay Pyi Daw
AFP via Getty Images

The US and Australia also condemned the coup and urged Myanmar's military to respect the rule of law.

"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," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement from Washington. She said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the reported developments.

"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," the statement said. Burma is the former name of Myanmar.

Protest against Myanmar's military after it seized power from democratically elected civilian government at UN University in Tokyo
Protesters from Myanmar living in Japan rallied against against the coup at United Nations University in Tokyo
REUTERS

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter: "I condemn the coup and unlawful imprisonment of civilians, including Aung San Suu Kyi, in Myanmar. 

"The vote of the people must be respected and civilian leaders released."

Care minister Helen Whately told Sky News it was an “extremely worrying situation in Myanmar” and the UK Government was carefully monitoring the situation.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne called for the release of Ms Suu Kyi and others reported to be detained.

"We strongly support the peaceful reconvening of the National Assembly, consistent with the results of the November 2020 general election," she said.

Myanmar legislators were to gather on Monday in Nay Pyi Taw for the first session of parliament since last year's election.

Online news portal Myanmar Now cited unidentified sources about the arrest of Ms Suu Kyi and the NLD's chairperson around dawn and did not have further details.

Myanmar Visual Television and Myanmar Voice Radio posted on Facebook around 6.30am local time that their programmes were not available to broadcast regularly.

The 75-year-old Ms Suu Kyi is by far the country's most dominant politician, and became the country's leader after heading a decades-long non-violent struggle against military rule.

Ms Suu Kyi's party captured 396 out of 476 seats in the combined lower and upper houses of parliament in the November polls, but the military holds 25 per cent of the total seats under the 2008 military-drafted constitution and several key ministerial positions are also reserved for military appointees.

The military, known as the Tatmadaw, alleged massive voting fraud in the election, though it has failed to provide proof. The state Union Election Commission last week rejected its allegations.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in