The
country woke up to widespread communications blackouts and soldiers in
army fatigues patrolling City Hall in the biggest city Yangon. Residents
turning on their television sets could only access the military-owned
Myawaddy TV channel, with all other news channels seemingly blocked.
As
news filtered through that the country's democratically-elected leaders
had been detained in the capital -- hours before the first session of
the new parliament was set to open -- a news anchor announced on the
military-owned channel that power had been handed over to army chief Min
Aung Hlaing.
In
the address, the military confirmed it had detained the country's de
facto civilian leader Suu Kyi, along with other high ranking National
League for Democracy (NLD) leaders, in response to alleged voting
irregularities in November's election.
The
coup followed weeks of worsening political tensions in the country over
the disputed election and rumors that the military could take over had
been swirling for days.
Spokesperson
for the ruling NLD, Myo Nyunt, confirmed the detentions to CNN Monday,
saying that, "State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and some other
senior figures are being detained in (the capital city of) Naypyidaw.
"The
military seems to take control of the capital now," he added. Myo Nyunt
could not be reached by CNN in the hours following the coup.
Along
with Suu Kyi, President Win Myint was also detained, according to
Reuters, as well as several senior leaders from large states in Myanmar,
including the ministers of Shan State, Kayah State, and the NLD
Ayeyarwady state spokesperson.
The
coup has been widely condemned internationally, with the United States
calling on Myanmar's military leaders to "release all government
officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people."
"The
United States expresses grave concern and alarm regarding reports that
the Burmese military has detained multiple civilian government leaders,
including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and civil society leaders,"
according to a statement from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"The military must reverse these actions immediately."
What led to the coup
In
its announcement, signed by the newly installed acting President,
former military general, Myint Swe, the military alleges that voter
fraud took place in the November 8, 2020 elections and said they had
detained political leaders for "failing to take actions, not following
the request to postpone lower house and upper house parliament
sessions."
Last week, a military spokesperson said it would not rule out a coup if the military's claims of alleged voter fraud into the
November 2020 election were not investigated.
Suu Kyi's party the NLD
claimed an overwhelming victory
in the country's second democratic ballot since the end of direct
military rule in 2011, taking 83% of the vote, which allowed the party
to form a government. The military-backed Union Solidarity and
Development Party won 33 out of a possible 476 seats, fewer than the
party expected.
Myanmar's
election commission on Thursday rejected claims of voter fraud, saying
any errors -- such as duplicated names on voter lists -- were not enough
to impact the result of the vote.
Nobel laureate Suu Kyi is widely considered
a hero of democracy in Myanmar, where she spent 15 years under house arrest as part of a decades-long fight against military rule.
Following
her release, Suu Kyi led her party to a landslide victory in Myanmar's
first openly contested election in 2015, establishing its first civilian
government after decades of isolation and military authoritarianism.
But
her international reputation has been tarnished in recent years by
allegations of genocide against Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya population.
Myanmar denies the charges and has long claimed to have been targeting
terrorists.
On Monday Human rights non-government organization Burma Rights UK said
in a post to their Twitter that the news of Suu Kyi's detention was "devastating."
"This
needs to be met with the strongest international response. The military
need to be made to understand that they have made a major
miscalculation in thinking they can get away with this," the group said.
Communications blackout
As
Myanmar woke up to news of the coup Monday, there was evidence of
significant internet and phone network disruption across the country,
which could affect the ability of people to get information or organize
any response via social media.
Netblocks,
which monitors internet blackouts around the world, said that real-time
network data showed a major drop in connectivity in the early hours of
Monday morning. Doug Madory, an analyst at Kentik, a network
observability company, added on Twitter that there was a "large internet
outage" unfolding.
"Continuing
disconnections have been monitored with national connectivity falling
initially to 75% and subsequently 50% of ordinary levels by 8:00 a.m.
local time," according to Netblocks.
Reuters
reported that Myanmar state media MRTV is having technical issues and
is unable to broadcast, the network said. "Due to current communication
difficulties we'd like to respectfully inform you that the regular
programs of MRTV and Myanmar Radio cannot be broadcast," Myanmar Radio
and Television said on a post on its Facebook page.
Netblocks
reported that "technical data show cuts affecting multiple network
operators including state-owned Myanma Posts and Telecommunications
(MPT) and international operator Telenor, with preliminary findings
indicating a centrally ordered mechanism of disruption targeting
cellular and some fixed-line services, progressing over time."
Prominent Myanmar historian and author Thant Myint-U
said on Twitter Monday that, "The doors just opened to a very different future."
"I
have a sinking feeling that no one will really be able to control what
comes next. And remember Myanmar's a country awash in weapons, with deep
divisions across ethnic and religious lines, where millions can barely
feed themselves."
International reaction
The military action has prompted concern and condemnation from the international community.
US
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation in Myanmar by
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, according to a statement from
White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
"The
United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent
elections or impede Myanmar's democratic transition, and will take
action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed," the
statement said. "We are monitoring the situation closely."
Army
chief Min Aung Hlaing has been under US sanctions since December 2019.
He was designated for serious human rights abuses related to the
atrocities committed against the Rohingya.
Australia
on Monday called for the immediate release of Suu Kyi and other senior
leaders who are being detained by the military.
In
a statement from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Marise Payne the Minister of Foreign Affairs said, "The Australian
Government is deeply concerned at reports the Myanmar military is once
again seeking to seize control of Myanmar."
"We
call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes
through lawful mechanisms, and to release immediately all civilian
leaders and others who have been detained unlawfully," the statement
said.
Additional reporting by Reuters, CNN's James Griffiths, Sandi Sidhu and Sophie Jeong.
image copyrightMCB/ PA Media
