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A spokesman for the National League for Democracy, the ruling party, reported that the Burmese leader and other top officials were arrested in a morning raid. The event comes amid escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful Army, which fuels fears of a possible coup.
Myanmar’s flimsy democracy is under scrutiny again. The country’s highly influential army detained the government leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other important figures in his cabinet. The information was confirmed by Myo Nyunt, spokesperson for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), to the Reuters news agency.
“I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act in accordance with the law,” added Nyunt, who confessed that he also expected to be detained. Reuters tried to contact him again and could not.
In addition, telephone and mobile lines in Naipyidó, the country’s capital, and Rangoon, the nation’s largest city, suffered cuts in the early hours of Monday, February 1 in the South Asian nation, the Internet connection it suffered a drop to 75% of its usual capacity, according to the NetBlocks observatory, while MRTV television reported through Facebook that it could not start its transmission due to technical problems.
Meanwhile, witnesses consulted by telephone by Reuters said that soldiers were deployed outside the Yangon city hall and that military vehicles were roaming the area.
Also, an NLD legislator, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals, said that another of the detainees was Han Thar Myint, a member of the central executive committee of the party.
The arrests fuel fears of a possible coup
These episodes occur after an escalation of tension between the civilian government and the military leaders, who denounce alleged irregularities in the parliamentary elections held on November 8, the results of which largely favored the National League for Democracy.
The results were first challenged by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the former government formation that had driven the previous military junta before its dissolution. This formation, a great loser in the elections by winning only 33 seats, even asked for new elections to be held, under the tutelage of the Army.
Precisely, this Monday, February 1, the new Parliament that emerged from those elections was due to take office, with an overwhelming majority of the National League for Democracy (NLD) of Aung San Suu Kyi, which won 83 percent of the the 476 seats of the Legislative.
The arrests have rekindled fears of a possible coup in Myanmar, which appeared to have been quelled on Saturday, January 30, when the army pledged to “obey the Constitution.”
“Since the Tatmadaw (name of the Burmese Army) is an armed association, it must obey the Constitution. Our soldiers must obey and respect the Constitution more than other existing laws,” the military institution had said in a statement.
Myanmar Army’s Information Team made a statement on 30 Jan that they will safeguard the Constitution, act in accord with the existing laws and urges not to misinterpret what Senior General’s briefing regarding the constitution. It is an initial step to deescalate the tension.
– Dr. Yan Myo Thein (@Yanmyothein) January 30, 2021
Rumors of a possible coup had been triggered last Tuesday, when military spokesman Zaw Min Tun refused to rule out an army seizure of power. Versions that last Wednesday were increased after the head of the Army, Min Aung Hlaing, indicated in a speech before military personnel that the Constitution should be abolished if it is not complied with, which was taken as a veiled threat.
These episodes led the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, to express his “great concern” about the situation and to the Delegation of the European Union (EU) and several embassies, including the British, American, Australian and several European countries. to reject “any attempt” to modify the electoral results or “impede” the democratic transition.
Myanmar’s weak democracy, once again on edge against the mighty Army
Myanmar was subjected to an “iron fist” military dictatorship between 1962 and 2011, when the transition to democracy began.
Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, came to power after a landslide election victory in 2015, after spending decades under house arrest until her final release in November 2010.
Her figure as a fighter for democracy was damaged internationally after, under her government, multiple Army operations were carried out that forced thousands of members of the Rohingya minority to flee to the western state of Rakhine in 2017 and to Bangladesh. His policies of marginalizing that Muslim minority earned him criticism outside the country, but did not undermine his popularity within it.
Despite having achieved the democratic transition, it does not have a great strength in Myanmar and the military retains a great influence in power. It was they who drew up the current Constitution, which provides for a “disciplined democracy” and which grants it great concessions, since they have 25 percent of the seats in Parliament and the influential Ministries of the Interior, Borders and Defense.
The November 8 elections were only the second after more than half a century of military dictatorship.
With Reuters and EFE
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source https://pledgetimes.com/myanmar-army-detains-leader-aung-san-suu-kyi-and-other-figures-from-her-government/
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