Myanmar army seizes power, detains Suu Kyi

Naypyitaw, February 1

Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids.

Announcing a purge of the government, the military authorities removed 24 ministers and deputies and named 11 replacements in its new administration.

The army said it had carried out the detentions in response to “election fraud”, handing power to military chief General Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.

Suu Kyi’s party said she had called on people to protest against the military takeover, quoting comments it said had been written in anticipation of a coup.

The coup derails years of Western-backed efforts to establish democracy in Myanmar, where neighbouring China has a powerful influence.

The generals made their move hours before parliament had been due to sit for the first time since the NLD’s landslide win in the November 8 election viewed as a referendum on Suu Kyi’s fledgling democratic rule.

Phone and internet connections in the capital, Naypyitaw, and the main commercial centre Yangon were disrupted and state television went off air after the National League for Democracy leaders were detained.

Summarising a meeting of the new junta, the military said Min Aung Hlaing had pledged to practice a “genuine discipline-flourishing multiparty democratic system”. He promised a free and fair election and a handover of power to the winning party, it said, without giving a timeframe.

The United Nations led condemnation of the coup and calls for the release of detainees and restoration of democracy in comments largely echoed by Australia, Britain, the European Union, India, Japan and the United States. — Reuters