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Aung San Suu Kyi, seen here at a coronavirus vaccination clinic in January, is Myanmar’s de facto leader. PHOTO CREDIT: REUTERS
The Burmese army seized power after arresting de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior leaders of her ruling party.
All powers have been given to the top army commander and a one-year state of emergency has been declared, according to a statement on military television.
The coup follows a landslide election victory for Ms. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD).
She urged her supporters “not to accept this” and “to protest the coup”.
In a letter written in preparation for her impending detention, she said the military’s actions had put the country back under dictatorship.
In the early hours of Monday, the military said it was handing over power to Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing due to “electoral fraud”. Soldiers are in the streets of the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and the main city, Yangon.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the armed forces until 2011, when democratic reforms led by Aung Sann Suu Kyi ended military rule.
PHOTO: Military chief Min Aung Hlaing is now in power
What was the reaction?
The United States condemned the coup, saying Washington “opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or hinder Myanmar’s democratic transition.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the release of all government officials and civil society leaders and said the United States “supports the people of Burma in their aspirations for democracy, freedom, to peace and development. The army must cancel these actions immediately. ” .
In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the coup and “illegal imprisonment” of Aung San Suu Kyi.
credit: BBC
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