Despite international condemnation, Mya’s army …

Amidst a worldwide barrage of condemnations, Burmese army chief Min Aung Hlaing called it “inevitable” the Coup d’Etat. For its part detainee Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, ousted head of government, has called for her immediate release. At the announced UN Security Council meeting, there was no consensus because China and Russia asked for more time. After defining the situation as a coup, the United States government will cut back its economic aid to the nation formerly known as Burma.

The coup took place in Myanmar on Monday and a day later soldiers were still deployed in the capital, Naipyidó, where Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of his party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), remain in detention. The soldiers also surrounded the buildings where the deputies live. An NLD deputy described the scene as an “open-air detention center”.

The current army chief, General Min Aung Hlaing, who was seized by Argentina’s courts of the fierce crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority, proclaimed himself leader for a year, then held “free elections” and fair “. “This path was inevitable for the country and that is why we had to choose it,” the officer said in statements posted on the military’s Facebook page.

The armed forces must “recognize the result” of the November elections, he said. the leadership of the LND party, denouncing in turn a “stain in the history of the State and the Tatmadaw”, the Burmese army.

In the aftermath of the coup, people were still careful to speak out for fear of reprisals, in a country that has lived under the yoke of military dictatorship for nearly 50 years since its independence in 1948. “People are afraid to openly criticize, even if we don’t like what’s going on,” said Maung Zaw, owner of a small meat stall..

The UN Security Council meets urgently to address the coup in Myanmar, but the meeting ended without being able to reach a joint statement. “China and Russia have requested more time,” said a diplomat who requested anonymity.. For its part the US State Department announced it would restrict aid to the Burmese government, although it will continue to offer humanitarian aid to the population, including those who are battered by the Rohingya minority.