Blog Elements – Page 423

(Reuters) – A verified Facebook account from Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party on Monday published a statement on behalf of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, saying that people should not accept a military coup and should protest.

The NLD said the statement, which was uploaded on a Facebook page used by the party during its election campaign, was written before Monday’s coup had taken place. Reuters could not immediately reach NLD party officials for comment.

Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since she was detained in early morning raids along with other key party figures and activists.

“The actions of the military are actions to put the country back under a dictatorship,” said the statement, which carried leader Suu Kyi’s name but not her signature.

“I urge people not to accept this, to respond and wholeheartedly to protest against the coup by the military.”

The statement was issued by the party chairman Win Htein, who in a handwritten note at the bottom stressed it was authentic and reflected Suu Kyi’s wishes.

“On my life I swear, that this request to the people is Aung San Suu Kyi’s genuine statement,” wrote Win Htein, who could not be reached by Reuters.

Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Ed Davies

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reuters

By THE IRRAWADDY 1 February 2021

The Myanmar military detained the country’s de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint in the early hours on Monday, according to National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt. Some of the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee members, lawmakers and regional cabinet members have been taken into custody as well. The apparent military coup occurred just hours before the scheduled start of the first session of the new, NLD-dominated Parliament on Monday morning. Mobile phone services have been cut off in Naypyitaw.

The arrests follow last week’s sharp escalation in tensions between the civilian government and the military after the latter made what was perceived as a threat to stage a coup if the government failed to act on its claims of mass fraud in November’s general election. The NLD won the vote in a landslide.

Dr. Myo Nyunt told The Irrawaddy: “This is a military coup attempt, but they can claim it is not, by forcing the President to call an urgent national security meeting for an official handover of power to them,” which would make the military takeover official.

According to the Constitution, only the President can declare a state of emergency and hand over power to the military.

The state-run television service is currently cut off and only the military-owned Myawaddy channel is accessible. Mobile communications are limited to within regions only.

Topics: arrest, central executive committee, Coup, Election, fraud, Military, National League for Democracy, national security meeting, NLD, Parliament, President U Win Myint, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Tatmadaw

Irrawaddy