Protestors gather in wellington to rally against Myanmar military coup. Video / NZ Herald
New Zealand has suspended all high-level political and military contact with Myanmar in response to the military coup that took place on February 1, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta.
Mahuta also spoke at a rally outside Parliament tonight held to protest against the military coup.
As well as the ban on high-level engagement, she has instructed that New Zealand's aid to Myanmar - $42 million between 2018 and 2020 – should not include projects that are delivered with or benefit the military government.
A travel ban would also be formalised in the next few weeks on Myanmar's military leaders.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand was also joining other countries at the United Nations calling for a special session at the Human Rights Council "to raise concerns regarding the military coup and the impact on human rights".
"I can assure you that New Zealand will continue to closely monitor the situation in Myanmar as it continues to unfold," she said at her post-Cabinet press conference.
The military seized control following a general election in November in which the party of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy, won a landslide victory.
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi last with Jacinda Ardern at the East Asia Summit in Singapore in 2018. Photo / Audrey Young
The coup has been met with demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of people in Myanmar over the weekend, according to BBC reports.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, spent nearly 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010 when the country was also under the control of a military dictatorship.
She has been a leading parliamentary figure since elections were held in 2015 but the constitution prevents her from standing as president.
Suu Kyi and President Wyn Myint have been arrested.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta speaking at the rally protesting against the military coup in Myanmar. Photo / Audrey Young
Mahuta told the rally that "here in New Zealand we understand just how important our democratic principles are and what it means to belong to an inclusive society."
"On behalf of the Government, this is the statement I have prepared: Aotearoa is deeply concerned by the military coup in Myanmar. We do not recognise the legitimacy of the Myanmar Government.
"We have been a longstanding supporter of Myanmar's democratic transition and the rule of law. The people of Myanmar have invested in their democracy over the past decade, holding not one, but two multi-party general elections.
"The democratic will of the people of Myanmar expressed through these two elections must be respected, not eliminated by a military that has launched yet another coup.
"We call for the immediate release of political leaders detained by the military and a rapid and peaceful return to civilian rule. And we welcome the statements of the G7 and the United Nations Security Council condemning the coup."
The measures are similar to those previous governments have taken after coups in countries such as Thailand and Fiji, although New Zealand appears to have acted relatively quickly in response to Myanmar.
