How World is Reacting to Myanmar Coup
Since the dawn army raids that took Aung San Suu Kyi and her government’s top ministers into custody on Monday, outrage, reactions have simmered over the sudden end to a fledgling democracy. The coup was a dramatic backslide that highlighted the extent to which the generals have ultimately maintained control in in the Southeast Asian country.
The takeover also marked a shocking fall from power for Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who had lived under house arrest for years as she tried to push her country toward democracy and then became its de facto leader after her party won elections in 2015.
Here are top 10 developments related to the coup:
G-7 Countries Seek Restoration of Power to Democratically Elected Govt: The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Tuesday but took no action. The foreign ministers of the Group of 7 leading industrial nations on Wednesday issued a statement calling for Suu Kyi and others to be released, the state of emergency to be scrapped and power restored to the democratically elected government. It also expressed concern about restrictions on information, an apparent reference to cuts to phone and internet service on Monday.n”We stand with the people of Myanmar who want to see a democratic future,” it said. The group comprises the United States. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, along with the European Union.
World’s Longest Internet Shutdown Ends in Myanmar’s Ethnic Conflict Zones: The world’s longest internet shutdown — affecting more than a million people for 19 months in one of Myanmar’s ethnic conflict zones — has come to an end, according to a mobile operator based in the region. The internet in parts of Myanmar’s troubled northern states of Rakhine and Chin was suspended in June 2019 following “emergency” orders issued by the telecoms department under Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government. Following Monday’s military coup, mobile operator Telenor Group confirmed it had reinstated full services in eight townships in Rakhine and Chin states on Wednesday.
UN Wants to ‘Make Sure’ Myanmar Coup Fails, Says Guterres: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday he would do everything in his power to pressure Myanmar and “make sure that this coup fails.” “We will do everything we can to mobilize all the key actors and international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that this coup fails,” Guterres said in a conversation with The Washington Post.
Myanmar Junta Blocks Facebook to Shut Down Dissent: Myanmar’s junta blocked Facebook and other messaging services in the name of ensuring stability on Thursday as they consolidate power following a coup and the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. People in Yangon and other cities banged on pots and pans and honked car horns for a second night on Wednesday in protest against Monday’s coup. Images of the protests had circulated widely on Facebook. The social network has also been used to share images of a campaign of disobedience by staff at government hospitals across the country, who accuse the army of putting its interests above a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 3,100 people, one of the highest tolls in Southeast Asia.
Bangladesh Steps Up Border Security to Prevent Influx of Rohingyas: Bangladesh said on Wednesday that it has stepped up security along its border with Myanmar to prevent a fresh influx of Rohingyas amid speculation that the coup in the neighbouring nation could push more refugees into this country. “We have secured our border (with Myanmar),” Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen told reporters here. He, however, said that Dhaka did not expect further Rohingya influx, but some friendly Western countries “fear that rest of the Rohingyas would flee to Bangladesh from Rakhine” due to the military coup in Myanmar, he added. His statement comes as officials in southeastern Cox’s Bazar that borders Myanmar’s Rakhine state said that the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has intensified patrols and vigils along the border.
Suu Kyi Charged, Can Be Held Until Feb 15: Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be held until February 15 on charge of having illegally imported radios. The charges against Suu Kyi appear to carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The charge sheets indicate the unregistered walkie-talkies were for use by Suu Kyi’s bodyguards. National League for Democracy spokesman Kyi Toe confirmed the charge on his Facebook page. He also said the country’s ousted president, Win Myint, was charged with violating natural disaster management law. An NLD lawmaker, Phyo Zayar Thaw, also confirmed the charges. Police and court officials in the capital Naypyitaw could not immediately be contacted.
Myanmar Economy at Risk after Coup: Myanmar’s untapped potential was up for grabs in 2011, when generals in charge of a 49-year junta loosened their iron grip, paving the way for democratic reforms and economic liberalisation in the country of more than 50 million people. Investors pumped money into telecommunications, infrastructure, manufacturing and construction projects. But the buzz was already fading by 2017 for the West, after a military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state led to allegations of genocide. And the sight of generals running the show again could be the last straw for Western businesses, analysts say.