King Heffy Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 (edited) Quote Military takes control of Myanmar after leader Aung San Suu Kyi reported detained Social Sharing Military cites allegations of voter fraud in November elections Thomson Reuters · Posted: Jan 31, 2021 6:11 PM ET | Last Updated: 23 minutes ago Myanmar soldiers are seen inside city hall in Yangon on Monday. The country's military declared a state of emergency and said it has taken control of the country for a year, according to a military-owned television station. (Reuters) Myanmar military television said 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 Kyi had been detained. A presenter on military-owned Myawaddy TV made the announcement and cited a section of the military-drafted constitution that allows the military to take control in times of national emergency. He said the reason for takeover was in part due to the government's failure to act on the military's claims of voter fraud in last November's election and its failure to postpone the election because of the coronavirus crisis. The move comes after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election that the army says was fraudulent. A military spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking further comment. FRONT BURNER Fall from grace: Aung San Suu Kyi defends Myanmar against genocide charge Phone lines to Naypyitaw, the capital, were not reachable in the early hours of Monday. Parliament had been due to start sitting there on Monday after a November election the NLD had won in a landslide. Soldiers took up positions at city hall in Yangon and mobile internet data and phone services in the NLD stronghold were disrupted, residents said. Internet connectivity also had fallen dramatically, monitoring service NetBlocks said. NLD spokesperson Myo Nyunt told Reuters by phone that Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders had been "taken" in the early hours of the morning. "I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act according to the law," he said, adding he also expected to be detained. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seen in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, in January 2020. (Aung Shine Oo/The Associated Press) Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, 75, came to power after a 2015 landslide election win that followed decades of house arrest in a struggle for democracy that turned her into an international icon. Her international standing was damaged after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled army operations into refuge from Myanmar's western Rakhine state in 2017, but she remains hugely popular at home. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States expressed "grave concern and alarm" over reports of the detention of government officials and civil society leaders. In a statement, Blinken called on Myanmar's military leaders to release the detained leaders and respect the will of the people "as expressed in democratic elections on November 8." Earlier, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation and that the U.S. "will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed." Supporters of Myanmar's military take part in a protest against election results in Yangon on Saturday. (Shwe Paw Mya Tin/Reuters) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the detentions and said the developments "represent a serious blow to democratic reforms," according to a UN spokesperson. "All leaders must act in the greater interest of Myanmar's democratic reform, engaging in meaningful dialogue, refraining from violence and fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. Myanmar's military had said on Saturday it would protect and abide by the constitution and act according to law after comments earlier in the week had raised fears of a coup. Myanmar's election commission has rejected the military's allegations of vote fraud, saying there were no errors big enough to affect the credibility of the vote. The constitution reserves 25 per cent of seats in parliament for the military and control of three key ministries in Suu Kyi's administration. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/myanmar-leader-aung-san-suu-kyi-detained-1.5895593 As questionable as Myanmar's government's actions have been, I highly doubt military control will be an improvement given the country's history. I am concerned that the events of January 6 will inspire more events like this. While the US escaped reasonably unscathed, other countries without strong protections in place will not be so lucky. Edited February 1, 2021 by King Heffy 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilunga Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 22 minutes ago, King Heffy said: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/myanmar-leader-aung-san-suu-kyi-detained-1.5895593 As questionable as Myanmar's government's actions have been, I highly doubt military control will be an improvement given the country's history. I am concerned that the events of January 6 will inspire more events like this. While the US escaped reasonably unscathed, other countries without strong protections in place will not be so lucky. Totally. The actions of POTUS -trump - enable/d dictators and military leaders to act despotically. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 12 minutes ago, Ilunga said: Totally. The actions of POTUS -trump - enable/d dictators and military leaders to act despotically. What lol? What does Trump have to do with Myanmar.. The country has been politically unstable before Aung San Suu Kyi came into power. IMO it is karma for how the Rohingya were treated.. and her refusal to do anything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 5 minutes ago, drummer4now said: What lol? What does Trump have to do with Myanmar.. The country has been politically unstable before Aung San Suu Kyi came into power. IMO it is karma for how the Rohingya were treated.. and her refusal to do anything about it. The main difference between Myanmar and what happened in the Capitol is the end result. I certainly agree the treatment of the Rohingya was utterly reprehensible, but they were persecuted under years of military rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24K PureCool Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 So what you saying is that it is time for uncle sam to bring out the FREEDOM BOMBS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilunga Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 1 hour ago, drummer4now said: What lol? What does Trump have to do with Myanmar.. The country has been politically unstable before Aung San Suu Kyi came into power. IMO it is karma for how the Rohingya were treated.. and her refusal to do anything about it. When the leader of the most powerful nation in the world acts in a despotic manner that sends a message to leaders of other countries that this sort of behaviour is acceptable. I to am unimpressed by both the military and the democratically elected governments handling of the Rohingyas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 So... is Aung San Suu Kyi now a champion of human rights again? It's hard to keep track with all the narrative change. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Maybe after another 20 years of house arrest she will rehabilitate her public image and win another peace prize Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilunga Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 23 minutes ago, Lancaster said: So... is Aung San Suu Kyi now a champion of human rights again? It's hard to keep track with all the narrative change. I haven't currently read or heard people claiming she is a champion of human rights. What is being reported and people are discussing is the overthrow of a democratically elected government by the military. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Just now, Ilunga said: I haven't currently read or heard people claiming she is a champion of human rights. What is being reported and people are discussing is the overthrow of a democratically elected government by the military. I think it was back during the 80-90's. That's how she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petesake Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 2 hours ago, King Heffy said: Earlier, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation and that the U.S. "will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed." Quite a different response than “I’m sure there are very fine people on both sides.” 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilunga Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 8 minutes ago, Lancaster said: I think it was back during the 80-90's. That's how she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. I am conversant with her political history and how she came to win the Nobel Peace prize. Your original post was insinuating that after getting critisised for her handling of the Rohingyas she is now being cast as a champion of human rights. You stated that it is hard to keep up with the narrative change. I have not heard or read any change in the narrative of her actions in regards to the human rights of the Rohingyas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 2 minutes ago, Ilunga said: I am conversant with her political history and how she came to win the Nobel Peace prize. Your original post was insinuating that after getting critisised for her handling of the Rohingyas she is now being cast as a champion of human rights. You stated that it is hard to keep up with the narrative change. I have not heard or read any change in the narrative of her actions in regards to the human rights of the Rohingyas. I was just pointing out how quickly narrative changes at times. From where she was during the 90's to the 00's and to now. I'm willing to bet that there will be lots of articles coming out in the next few days and even weeks about "Pro-democracy, Nobel Prize winner.... ousted via military coup". Trying to put her into the best of light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilunga Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 12 minutes ago, Lancaster said: I was just pointing out how quickly narrative changes at times. From where she was during the 90's to the 00's and to now. I'm willing to bet that there will be lots of articles coming out in the next few days and even weeks about "Pro-democracy, Nobel Prize winner.... ousted via military coup". Trying to put her into the best of light. I agree with the fact that the media will create headlines that they hope drive up their advertising revenue,that's how the media works. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillipBlunt Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 10 hours ago, Ilunga said: Totally. The actions of POTUS -trump - enable/d dictators and military leaders to act despotically. That's a bit of a reach. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillipBlunt Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 9 hours ago, 24K PureCool said: So what you saying is that it is time for uncle sam to bring out the FREEDOM BOMBS! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfgang Durst Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 11 hours ago, Ilunga said: I am conversant with her political history and how she came to win the Nobel Peace prize. Your original post was insinuating that after getting critisised for her handling of the Rohingyas she is now being cast as a champion of human rights. You stated that it is hard to keep up with the narrative change. I have not heard or read any change in the narrative of her actions in regards to the human rights of the Rohingyas. In hindsight she didn't deserve winning the Nobel Peace prize because of she didn't take any action to stop that inhuman treatment of the Rohingyas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post thedestroyerofworlds Posted February 1, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 1, 2021 1 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lock Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 14 hours ago, Ilunga said: When the leader of the most powerful nation in the world acts in a despotic manner that sends a message to leaders of other countries that this sort of behaviour is acceptable. I to am unimpressed by both the military and the democratically elected governments handling of the Rohingyas I don't know if the actions in the US really change what's going on in other countries that much. We've seen a lot of countries have coups for decades and I don't know how many countries are really looking to the US in terms of what they should be doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilunga Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 7 hours ago, PhillipBlunt said: That's a bit of a reach. Really ? You don't think that guys like Putin,Ping and military leaders see the leader of the most powerful and supposed democratic nation in the world acting despotically ,then they think they can ignore democratic norms. Seems like basic human nature 101 to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now