They captured Aung San Suu Kyi with several Myanmar figures.
The powerful army of Myanmar has once threatened an alleged fraud in a November election. And finally, country’s military has taken action as they captured Aung San Suu Kyi and other figures of current Myanmar government. A state of emergency has been declared afterwards just few hours following the moment they detained Ms. Suu Kyi and her governmental fellows.
Military trucks carried barbed wire barriers parked outside the City Hall in Yangon this morning. Whereas, mobile phones connection and broadcasting signals were all lost. Nothing about this action of Myanmar’s military was allowed to be on air.
Myanmar’s broadcaster then confirmed with The Guardian that the country has been overruled by army for one year, under command of commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing. The media of Myanmar declared that their army has captured several senior governmental figures due to the election fraud happened last November.
Over the past few weeks, concerns about a move of country’s military has risen. People scared of the fact that they could retake the power that they have lost to Ms. Suu Kyi and her fellows in 2015. A big win of Ms. Suu Kyi after more than two decades being home arrested was quickly denied by the army.
United Nations said that they have noted the action of Myanmar’s army and suggested this party to give up the power. However, nation’s military protected their capture of Aung San Suu Kyi and her governmental fellows, responded that the intention of commander-in-chief and his army was misunderstood.
Spokesman of Ms. Suu Kyi, Myo Nyunt, recommended that whatever the military has done, they seems to stage a coup.
I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act according to the law.
We have to assume that the military is staging a coup.
Myo Nyunt told Reuters
Author and historian Thant Myint-U wrote on his tweet that no one really can control what will happen next to Myanmar. He alarmed that this nation was deep in division, and what the army has done was a dangerous action. Specifically, he wrote.
“I have a sinking feeling that no one will really be able to control what comes next. And remember Myanmar’s a country awash in weapons, with deep divisions across ethnic & religious lines, where millions can barely feed themselves.”
The streets of Myanmar remained to be busy and crowded this Monday. But mobile phones connection lost, no Internet was able, and no transaction could happen. Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, confessed that the situation of Myanmar right now is very disturbing.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won another election last November, getting more than 390 seats over 476 seats, while the military only secured 33 seats. Several fraud against the victory of NLD was accused by the military. Though they refused to coup against the current government, a few days later, army chief General Min Aung Hlaing said that a rebellious action might be necessary under certain circumstance.
John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said that what army of the nation has done showed the fact that this country still relied strongly on the power of their military.
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.
John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch
Several national leaders world wide opposed detention of Ms. Suu Kyi and her fellows, suggesting that the army of Myanmar should step away from power and release Ms. Suu Kyi.
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.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Besides the United States, Canada and Malaysia also expressed their support to Myanmar.
The people of Myanmar had their say in November’s vote, and overwhelmingly sent the message that they reject army rule. The military must respect the will of the people and allow parliament to proceed.
Charles Santiago, a Malaysian MP and chairperson of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.
