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Military stages coup in Myanmar

Published:Tuesday | February 2, 2021 | 12:11 AM
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In this May 6, 2016 file photo, Aung San Suu Kyi (left), Myanmar’s foreign minister, walks with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (right), Myanmar military’s commander-in-chief, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Myanmar military television said on Monday that the mi
The Associated Press
In this May 6, 2016 file photo, Aung San Suu Kyi (left), Myanmar’s foreign minister, walks with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (right), Myanmar military’s commander-in-chief, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Myanmar military television said on Monday that the military was taking control of the country for one year, while reports said many of the country’s senior politicians, including Suu Kyi, had been detained.
A vehicle with Myanmar and military flags and supporters of the Myanmar military and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party pass by a row of police trucks, with police security on board, parked near the Kyauktada police station in Yang
The Associated Press
A vehicle with Myanmar and military flags and supporters of the Myanmar military and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party pass by a row of police trucks, with police security on board, parked near the Kyauktada police station in Yangon, Myanmar on Monday, February 1. Myanmar military television said on Monday that the military was taking control of the country for one year, while reports said many of the country's senior politicians, including Aung San Suu Ky,i had been detained. AP
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JAKARTA (AP):

A coup in Myanmar has left the military in control under a one-year state of emergency, while the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other senior politicians have been detained. Here’s a look at what could be behind the military’s actions.

WHY NOW?

Monday was supposed to be the first day of a new session of Parliament, following November elections that Suu Kyi’s party won in a landslide – and that the military-backed party did poorly in. The military has claimed that widespread irregularities on voter lists could have led to fraud in that vote, though the election commission said there was no evidence to support those claims.

But the announcement on military-owned Myawaddy TV of the takeover cited the government’s failure to act on the allegations as part of the reason for the move. It also said the government’s failure to postpone the elections, despite the coronavirus pandemic, was behind it.

The military maintains its actions are legally justified, and the announcement cited an article in the constitution that allows the military to take over in times of emergency, though Suu Kyi’s party’s spokesman and many outsiders have said it’s effectively a coup.

Some experts expressed puzzlement that the military would move to upset the status quo – in which the generals continue to hold tremendous power, despite progress towards democracy in recent years.

But some noted the looming retirement of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who has been commander of the armed forces since 2011 and who was put in charge on Monday.

“There’s internal military politics around that, which is very opaque,” said Kim Jolliffe, a researcher on Myanmar civilian and military relations. “This might be reflecting those dynamics, and might be somewhat of a coup internally and his way of maintaining power within the military.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING INSIDE MYANMAR?

Television signals were cut across the country, as was phone and Internet access in Naypyitaw, the capital, while passenger flights were grounded. Phone service in other parts of the country was also reported down, though people were still able to use the Internet in many areas.

Barbed-wire roadblocks were set up across Yangon, the largest city, and military units began to appear outside government buildings such as City Hall.

Residents flocked to ATMs and food stalls, while some shops and homes removed the symbols of Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, that typically adorn the streets and walls of the city.