Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi detained in a military coup.
Video / AP
A military coup has taken place in Myanmar and State Counsellor (a position equivalent to prime minister) Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained under house arrest, according to reports.
Myanmar military television announced that the military has taken control of the country for one year. Phone and internet access to the capital Naypyitaw was lost and Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party could not be reached.
New Zealand has called for the release of Suu Kyi and the other political leaders. "We call for the swift release of all of those detained, and for any issues to be resolved through peaceful dialogue. An election has taken place and the democratic will of the people should be respected," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.
There are 58 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as currently being in Myanmar, and MFAT is advising New Zealanders in the country to avoid any unnecessary travel.
The US, Australia and others were concerned by the reports and urged Myanmar's military to respect the rule of law. "The United States is alarmed by reports that the Burmese military has taken steps to undermine the country's democratic transition, including the arrest of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials in Burma," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement from Washington. Burma is the former name of Myanmar.
Psaki said US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the reported developments. "The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar's democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed," the statement said.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne called for the release of Suu Kyi and others reported to be detained. "We strongly support the peaceful reconvening of the National Assembly, consistent with the results of the November 2020 general election," she said.
Myanmar lawmakers were to gather Monday (local time) in the capital Naypyitaw for the first session of Parliament since last year's election. Online news portal Myanmar Now cited unidentified sources about the arrest of Suu Kyi and the NLD's chairperson around dawn and did not have further details.
Policemen guard the entrance to Myanmar's parliament, January 29. Photo / AP
Myanmar Visual Television and Myanmar Voice Radio posted on Facebook around 6:30am that their programmes were not available to broadcast regularly.
The 75-year-old Suu Kyi is by far the country's most dominant politician, and became the country's leader after leading a decades-long nonviolent struggle against military rule.
Suu Kyi's party captured 396 out of 476 seats in the combined lower and upper houses of Parliament in the November polls, but the military holds 25 per cent of the total seats under the 2008 military-drafted constitution and several key ministerial positions are also reserved for military appointees.
The military, known as the Tatmadaw, charged that there was massive voting fraud in the election, though it has failed to provide proof. The state Union Election Commission last week rejected its allegations.
A signboard of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo / AP
Amid the bickering over the allegations, the military last Tuesday ramped up political tension when a spokesman at its weekly news conference, responding to a reporter's question, declined to rule out the possibility of a coup.
Major General Zaw Min Tun elaborated by saying the military would "follow the laws in accordance with the constitution." Using similar language, Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told senior officers in a speech Wednesday that the constitution could be revoked if the laws were not being properly enforced.
Supporters of the Myanmar military march while holding Myanmar flags as they protest the country's election results. Photo / AP
Buddhist monks hold placards as they participate in a rally protesting election results. Photo / AP
Adding to the concern was the unusual deployment of armoured vehicles in the streets of several large cities.
On Saturday, however, the military denied it had threatened a coup, accusing unnamed organisations and media of misrepresenting its position and taking the general's words out of context.
On Sunday, it reiterated its denial, this time blaming unspecified foreign embassies of misinterpreting the military's position and calling on them "not to make unwarranted assumptions about the situation".
