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A30 world news
Diamars 2 Februari 2021

Myanmar's military takes power in coup, detains Suu Kyi

to politicians, the people de-
tained included human rights
defenders, journalists and ac-
tivists.
In addition to announcing
that the commander in chief
would be charge, the military
TV report said Vice President
Myint Swe would be elevat-
ed to acting president. Myint
Swe is a former general best
known for leading a bru-
tal crackdown on Buddhist
monks in 2007. He is a close
ally of Than Shwe, the junta
leader who ruled Myanmar
for nearly two decades.
In a later announcement,
the military said an elec-
tion would be held in a year
and the military would hand
power to the winner.
The military justified its
move by citing a clause in
the 2008 constitution, imple-
mented during military rule,
that says in cases of national
(AP) — Myanmar’s mili- Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate backed party in the Novem- businesses. Lines formed emergency, the government’s
tary staged a coup Mon- who had lived under house ber vote may have been the at ATMs as people waited executive, legislative and ju-
day and detained senior arrest for years as she tried to spark. to take out cash, efforts that dicial powers can be handed
politicians including No- push her country toward de- Larry Jagan, an independent were being complicated by to the military commander-
bel laureate Aung San Suu mocracy and then became its analyst, said the takeover was internet disruptions. Workers in-chief.
Kyi — a sharp reversal of de facto leader after her Na- just a “pretext for the military at some businesses decided to It is just one of many parts of
the significant, if uneven, tional League for Democracy to reassert their full influence go home. the charter that ensured the
progress toward democ- won elections in 2015. over the political infrastruc- Suu Kyi's party released a military could maintain ulti-
racy the Southeast Asian ture of the country and to de- statement on one of its Face- mate control over the coun-
nation has made follow- While Suu Kyi had been a termine the future, at least in book pages saying the mili- try. The military is allowed to
ing five decades of mili- fierce antagonist of the army the short term,” adding that tary’s actions were unjusti- appoint its members to 25%
tary rule. while under house arrest, the generals do not want Suu fied and went against the of seats in Parliament and it
since her release and return Kyi to be a part of that future. constitution and the will of controls of several key minis-
An announcement read on to politics, she has had to The first signs that the mili- voters. The statement urged tries involved in security and
military-owned Myawaddy work with the country's gen- tary was planning to seize people to oppose Monday’s defense.
TV said Commander-in- erals, who never fully gave up power were reports that “coup” and any return to
Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung power. While the 75-year-old Suu Kyi and Win Myint, the “military dictatorship.” It was In November polls, Suu Kyi's
Hlaing would be in charge of has remained wildly popular country’s president, had been not possible to confirm who party captured 396 out of 476
the country for one year. It at home, Suu Kyi's deference detained before dawn. posted the message as party seats up for actual election in
said the seizure was necessary to the generals — going so far Myo Nyunt, a spokesman members were not answering the lower and upper houses
because the government had as to defend their crackdown for Suu Kyi’s party, told the phone calls. of Parliament.
not acted on the military's on Rohingya Muslims that online news service The Ir- The military's actions also re- The military has charged that
claims of fraud in Novem- the United States and others rawaddy that in addition to ceived international condem- there was massive fraud in
ber’s elections — in which have labeled genocide — has Suu Kyi and the president, nation and many countries the election — particularly
Suu Kyi's ruling party won a left her reputation interna- members of the party’s Cen- called for the release of the with regard to voter lists —
majority of the parliamentary tionally in tatters. tral Executive Committee, detained leaders. though it has not offered any
seats up for grabs — and be- The coup now presents a test many of its lawmakers and U.S. President Biden called convincing evidence. The
cause it allowed the election for the international com- other senior leaders had also the military’s actions “a direct state Union Election Com-
to go ahead despite the coro- munity, which had ostracized been taken into custody. assault on the country’s tran- mission last week rejected its
navirus pandemic. Myanmar while it was under Television signals were cut sition to democracy and the allegations.
The takeover came the morn- military rule and then en- across the country, as was rule of law” and said Wash- Concerns of a takeover grew
ing the country’s new parlia- thusiastically embraced Suu phone and internet access ington would not hesitate to last week when a military
mentary session was to begin Kyi’s government as a sign in Naypyitaw, the capital, restore sanctions. spokesman declined to rule
and follows days of concern the country was finally on while passenger flights were “The United States will stand out the possibility of a coup
that a coup was coming. The the path to democracy. U.S. grounded. Phone service in up for democracy wherever it when asked by a reporter to
military maintains its actions President Joe Biden threat- other parts of the country was is under attack,” he said in a do so at a news conference on
are legally justified — citing a ened new sanctions, which also reported down, though statement. Tuesday.
section of the constitution it the country had previously people were still able to use U.N. Secretary-General An- Then on Wednesday, the mil-
drafted that allows it to take faced. the internet in many areas. tonio Guterres called the de- itary chief told senior officers
control in times of national For some, Monday's takeover As word of the military’s ac- velopments a “serious blow in a speech that the constitu-
emergency — though Suu was seen as confirmation that tions spread in Yangon, the to democratic reforms,” ac- tion could be revoked if the
Kyi’s party spokesman as well the military holds ultimate country’s biggest city, there cording to his spokesman. laws were not being prop-
as many international observ- power despite the veneer was a growing sense of un- The Security Council will erly enforced. An unusual
ers have said it amounts to a of democracy. New York- ease among residents who hold an emergency meet- deployment of armored ve-
coup. based Human Rights Watch earlier in the day had packed ing on the military's actions hicles in the streets of several
It was a dramatic backslide has previously described the into tea shops for breakfast — probably on Tuesday, ac- large cities also stoked fears.
for Myanmar, which was clause in the constitution and went about their morn- cording to Britain, which On Saturday and Sunday,
emerging from decades of that the military invoked as ing shopping. currently holds the council however, the military denied
strict military rule and inter- a “coup mechanism in wait- By midday, people were re- presidency. it had threatened a coup, ac-
national isolation that began ing.” moving the bright red flags The U.N. high commission- cusing unnamed organiza-
in 1962. It was also a shock- The embarrassingly poor of Suu Kyi’s party that once er for human rights said in tions and media of misrepre-
ing fall from power for Suu showing of the military- adorned their homes and a statement that, in addition senting its position.