Published by Harakah Daily on February 1, 2021
YANGON – Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other senior officials have been detained by the military early on Monday, Dr. Myo Nyunt, spokesperson of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) told Xinhua News Agency.
“I received internal reports about our state counsellor and president being taken by the military. As far as I was informed, Shan State’s Planning and Finance Minister U Soe Nyunt Lwin, Kayah state’s NLD chairman Thaung Htay and some NLD representatives of the Ayeyarwady region’s parliament have been detained,” the spokesperson said.
“Two members of Central Executive Committee of the party were taken and I am also waiting to be detained as I was informed by our members that my turn will come shortly,” he said.
The Myanmar military TV declared on Monday a state of emergency in the country for one year after the government leaders were detained.
The state-run Radio and Television (MRTV) announced on its social media page that it was no longer working on Monday morning.
Telecommunications in capital city of Nay Pyi Taw and some other regions and states are also being cut off.
NetBlocks, a non-governmental organisation that tracks internet shutdowns, reported severe disruptions to web connections in Myanmar. Phone numbers in the capital Naypyidaw were also seemingly unreachable.
The coup against the government of Aung San Suu Kyi followed allegations of fraud in the November general election, which her National League of Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide.
The detentions followed weeks of tension between the civilian government and the military over the election outcome that stirred fears of a coup.
Constitution revoked
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s last week said the country’s 2008 constitution could be “revoked” under certain circumstances, raising alarm from foreign missions and the United Nations. The last time Myanmar’s constitution repealed was in 1988 – when the military seized power and reinstated a junta government.
The NLD swept the polls in November and was expecting to renew Suu Kyi’s lease on power with a new five-year term. But the military alleged the polls were riddled with irregularities, and claimed to have uncovered more than 10 million instances of voter fraud.
It demanded the government-run election commission release voter lists for cross-checking – which the commission has not done.
Maung Zarni, co-founder of Forsea, a grass-roots network of pro-democracy scholars and human rights activists across Southeast Asia, said Monday’s developments were a natural result of a constitution that continued to empower the military.
“The coup is constitutional – that is, legal,” he said. “Myanmar’s constitution of 2008 – drawn up by the military – pre-emptively legalises coups against any elected government … Suu Kyi herself has sworn to uphold that constitution of, for and by the military.
“The painful truth is Myanmar military has never left state power. They put Suu Kyi on a long leash. Now they will put her on a shorter lead, if she is ever allowed to play ball with them within the 2008 constitution.”
The constitution published in 2008 also reserves 25 per cent of seats in parliament for the military and control of three key ministries in Suu Kyi’s administration.
Zarni added: “Coup or no coup, Myanmar is not democratising or developing economically as long as the military controls the rule of the game.”
