The military has alleged that the general elections were marred by fraud and declared an emergency for a year
The military has taken control of the Myanmar government and has imposed a year-long emergency after Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party won the recently concluded general elections. The military was reportedly backing the opposition party in the elections.
The President of the country Win Myint, Suu Kyi, who was most recently the State Counsellor of Myanmar, and other prominent leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were arrested early morning. The Army, which believes that the elections were marred by fraud, will control the country during the emergency.
The takeover was mostly peaceful. Internet and telephone services were reportedly disrupted. Both local and international television channels were also off air. Banks have reported that they were asked to remain close as well.
Also known as Burma, the country has had a long military rule history. The democratic set up has been running since 2011. Suu Kyi herself was confined in jail for about fifteen years between 1989 and 2010. She won the Noble Peace Prize in 1991 for her struggle for democracy. Suu Kyi has asked her supporters to not accept the actions of the military.
Her reputation has suffered greatly in recent years, however. The Rohingya Muslims have been brutalized by the military for years, persecuted and killed, and eventually forced out of the country. Suu Kyi has remained quiet on the matter and has allegedly refused to condemn the actions of the military. Clearly, there were dual standards on the part of the Noble Peace Prize holder when it comes to different religions.
The United States has condemned the military’s action in the Asian country. However, China, which maintains strong relations with Myanmar said that it has noted the events and is developing a further understanding of the situation.