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| Ms Suu Kyi (right) was forced from power on Monday in a coup, with all of her powers transferred to the country's commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (left).(Photo by=Reuters) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] The military overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi's government in Myanmar was "inevitable", army chief General Min Aung Hlaing said on Tuesday (Feb 2), as Washington formally designated the takeover as a coup.
AFP reported that Myanmar's powerful military shocked the nation on Monday when it detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other National League for Democracy (NLD) party leaders in pre-dawn raids ahead of a scheduled resumption of parliament. General Min Aung Hlaing was given "legislative, judicial and executive powers", effectively returning Myanmar to military rule after a 10-year experiment with democracy. In his first public comments since the putsch, the general said the military takeover was "in line with the law" after the government failed to respond to its grievances over electoral fraud.
In the capital Naypyidaw, armed troops were stationed outside the dormitories for parliamentarians. One NLD lawmaker described it as "an open-air detention centre", though by nightfall some politicians said they were free to leave. A statement on the NLD's verified Facebook page called for Aung San Suu Kyi's release, as well as that of President Win Myint and all detained party members. On Tuesday evening, in the country's commercial hub of Yangon, residents honked car horns and clattered pots and pans in protest at the coup, following a social media campaign.
