Army coup in Myanmar

Myanmar’s army seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government on Monday.

The elected government was headed by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, she along with other leaders of her party National League for Democracy (NLD) were detained early morning raids on Monday.

According to army they carried out the detentions due to ‘election fraud’. The Myanmar’s army handed power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing as well as imposed a state of emergency for one year. This was informed by the army through a military-owned television station.

As Aung San Suu Kyi anticipated coup she urged people to protest the military takeover.

This army coup derails years of efforts made by Western powers to establish democracy in Myanmar. Burma was the old name of Myanmar and its neighbouring country China has a powerful influence in the region.

The Army generals made these move hours before first Parliament meeting after National League for Democracy Party’s landslide win in the election held on 8^th November 2020 which is viewed as a referendum on Aung San Suu Kyi’s fledgeling democratic rule.

Phone and Internet connections were disrupted in country’s capital Naypyidaw and the main commercial city of Yangon. The State television also went off air after NLD leaders were detained.

The Coup was also supported by some pro-military supporters as they paraded through Yangon waving national flags on their pick-up trucks.