AUNG SAN SUU KYI DETAINED AS MYANMAR MILITARY DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY

Mon 01 February 2021:

Myanmar’s military has taken control of the country after detaining de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians in the early hours.

Military TV said a state of emergency had been declared for one year and power transferred.

The military declared a state of emergency hours after detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other senior members of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

It claimed the moves are being carried out due to “election fraud” in the Nov. 8 elections, which resulted in the dominance of the NLD in parliament.

The military also announced that Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing has been installed as the country’s president.

A video address broadcast on military-owned television said power had been handed to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Mobile internet data connections and some phone services have been disrupted in major cities, while the state broadcaster MRTV says it is having technical issues and is off air.

Update: Internet connectivity in #Myanmar has fallen to 50% of ordinary levels as of 8:00 a.m. local time amid an apparent military coup and the detention of civilian leaders; pattern of disruption indicates centrally issued telecoms blackout order 📵

https://t.co/Jgc20OBk27 pic.twitter.com/71fHI3sRv3

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 1, 2021

Communications with Nay Pyi Taw are down and it is difficult to assess the situation there.

In the country’s largest city and former capital Yangon, phone lines and internet connectivity appear to be limited, with many providers cutting their services.

Here is the statement read out on Myawaddy Television (MWD):

“The voter lists which were used during the multi-party general election which was held on the 8th of November were found to have huge discrepancies and the Union Election Commission failed to settle this matter.

Although the sovereignty of the nation must derive from the people, there was terrible fraud in the voter list during the democratic general election which runs contrary to ensuring a stable democracy.

A refusal to settle the issue of voter list fraud and a failure to take action and follow a request to postpone lower-house and upper-house parliament sessions is not in accordance with article 417 of the 2018 constitution that refers to ‘acts or attempts to take over the sovereignty of the Union by wrongful forcible means’ and could lead to a disintegration of national solidarity.

Due to such acts, there have been a lot of protests going on in townships and cities in Myanmar to demonstrate their mistrust toward UEC. Other parties and people have also been found conducting different kinds of provocations including displaying flags which are very damaging to national security.

Unless this problem is resolved, it will obstruct the path to democracy and it must therefore be resolved according to the law.

Therefore, the state of emergency is declared in accordance with article 417 of the 2008 constitution.In order to perform scrutiny of the voter lists and to take action, the authority of the nation’s law making, governance and jurisdiction is handed over to the Commander in Chief in accordance with the 2008 constitution article 418, sub article (a).

The state of emergency is effective nationwide and the duration of the state of emergency is set for one year, starting from the date this order is announced in line with article 417 of the 2008 constitution.”

The military has announced a one-year state of emergency in Myanmar following its arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, other senior government officials, and activists including 8888 veteran Min Ko Naing. pic.twitter.com/8MXU2rxOuc

— Myanmar Now (@Myanmar_Now_Eng) February 1, 2021

United Nations condemned

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, “strongly condemned” the detention of Myanmar’s civilian leaders on the eve of the opening session of the country’s new parliament.

He also expressed “his grave concern regarding the declaration of the transfer of all legislative, executive and judicial powers to the military,” and added: “These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms in Myanmar.”

United States

A spokeswoman for US President Joe Biden said Washington was “alarmed” by reports of the Myanmar military’s “steps to undermine the country’s democratic transition” as well as the arrest of Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders.

“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,” Jen Psaki said in a statement.

The US Secretary of State, Antony J Blinken, also expressed “grave concern” in a statement and urged the military to “reverse” its actions immediately.

“We call on Burmese military leaders to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on November 8. The United States stands with the people of Burma in their aspirations for democracy, freedom, peace, and development,” he said.

Human Rights Watch

Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, called for the immediate and unconditional release of Suu Kyi and “all others unlawfully detained”.

“The military’s actions show utter disdain for the democratic elections held in November and the right of Myanmar’s people to choose their own government,” he said in a statement.

“We are especially concerned for the safety and security of activists and other critics of the military who may have been taken into custody. The military should recognize that it will be held accountable for its actions, including any mistreatment in custody and excessive use of force. We urge concerned governments to speak out forcefully against the military’s actions and consider targeted sanctions against those responsible.”

Amnesty International

Ming Yu Hah, deputy regional director at Amnesty International, called the arrest of Suu Kyi and others “extremely alarming”.

“Reports of a telecommunications blackout pose a further threat to the population at such a volatile time – especially as Myanmar battles a pandemic, and as internal conflict against armed groups puts civilians at risk in several parts of the country. It is vital that full phone and internet services be resumed immediately.”

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