Myanmar’s military detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country’s first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.
The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election last November. But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud. The U.S embassy in Myanmar urged its citizens to shelter-in-place on Sunday citing reports of military movements in the commercial capital Yangon after armored vehicles were sighted there for the first time since the Feb. 1 military coup. The embassy also said there was a possibility of telecommunications interruptions overnight between 1:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.01:30 p.m. Over 5,000 demonstrators march to protest against the military coup in Myanmar in Shibuya, central Tokyo, Japan.
11:30 a.m. I haven’t slept last night. People are getting tired of patrolling at night in their neighborhoods since the military released 23,000 prisoners said a young man. He quit his job at a garment factory to join the protests 400 out of 2,000 workers have left the plant, he said. According to Reuters, tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets in major cities. It is the ninth straight day of anti-coup demonstrations, after a fearful night as residents formed patrols and the army rolled back laws protecting freedoms.
We created two teams with our neighbors each team with three to four people, to secure the streets in the neighborhood said a seafood seller in Yangon. The team formed a makeshift checkpoint from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. armed with sticks. He said it was to protect ourselves because we don’t know what kind of weapons the suspicious person might bring. But we are trying not to be violent. Myanmar’s army reinstates a law requiring people to report overnight visitors to their homes, as police hunt supporters of protests that have rocked the country since a military coupon
The amendment to the Ward or Village Tract Administration Law, announced late on Saturday on a military-run Facebook page, is the latest in a raft of legislative changes introduced by the army. Peaceful protests continue in Yangon. Hledan district, the commercial hub of the city, is becoming the main place to protest. People gather on street corners and chant for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Many people in Myanmar are now tweeting.
Rumors are circulating that the police are arresting citizens at night without proper legal procedures, targeting civil servants who are taking part in the boycott against the military. Protesters start to gather in central Yangon. Young people demonstrate in the streets, chanting Release Mother Suu in front of Myanmar Plaza, a large shopping center. People also gather around the U.S. embassy in Yangon, urging tougher sanctions against the military. The Bank of Japan like most central banks around the world is watching carefully to see how Myanmar’s coup may affect bilateral and regional cooperation on monetary policy and financial stability.
As news of the military takeover reached the halls of the BOJ, staff raced to gather information about the ongoing developments, including the fate of the Southeast Asian nation’s central bank governor. The shocking was passed up the command chain at the head office in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district. The spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general calls the U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar a very important step.
It shows that the international community will speak strongly and with a strong voice, calling for the reversal of the events we’ve seen in Myanmar, and for the full respect of the democratic will of the people of Myanmar as well as full respect of their human rights,” Stephane Dujarric says. The resolution adopted at the U.N. Human Rights Council does not use the word coup to describe the military takeover of power in Myanmar, according to the draft version. Instead, it expresses deep concern at the declaration of the state of emergency imposed in Myanmar by the military and calls for the restoration of the democratically elected Government according to the draft. The U.N. Human Rights Council session has ended. The resolution was adopted without a vote but China, Russia, the Philippines, and other members later disassociated themselves from the consensus, saying the situation in Myanmar is an internal matter.
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has adopted a resolution on the deteriorating human rights situation in Myanmar proposed by Britain and the European Union. U.K. Ambassador Julian Braithwaite says the coup has to be reversed. He also calls for the release of detained political leaders and activists. Myanmar’s ambassador says such country-specific resolutions are not acceptable. special session follows a move by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to reengage immediately and robustly with the U.N. Human Rights Council. Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump distanced the U.S. from the council.
Earlier in the session, Mark Cassayre, the U.S. deputy chief of mission to the U.N. in Geneva, reiterates American condemnation of the coup and calls for the “immediate restoration of the country’s democratic institutions.”The U.S. urges other council members to join us in promoting accountability for those responsible for the coup, including through target sanctions Cassayre says. Also earlier in the session, Ambassador Myint Thu of Myanmar says the military was compelled to take the state responsibility in response to post-election irregularities and following complex situations echoing the junta’s stated justification for the coup.
Pro-democracy demonstrators in Thailand and Myanmar are pooling ideas as they protest against their respective governments, including statements of defiance like the three-finger salute inspired by The Hunger Games films, Nikkei Asia reports from Bangkok. Abolish Thai protesters yelled on Wednesday as they clanged metal pots and clattered everything from ladles to chopsticks, echoing recent expressions of discontent in Myanmar. The Thai protesters want to strike down Article 112 of the criminal code the controversial law of lese-majeste. Myanmar has inspired pot-banging in Thailand. The three-finger salute Myanmar’s protesters have taken up was first seen in Thailand in Red Shirt rallies.
The Hunger Games film series dates from 2008 and portrays characters battling a totalitarian regime. Myanmar demonstrators have added a red ribbon to their version, the color of Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted ruling party, the National League for Democracy. The U.S. calls on other member states of the United Nations to join it and other countries in pressuring Myanmar’s coup leaders, including through targeted sanctions such as those Washington imposed. Mark Cassayre, charge d’affaires at the U.S. mission to the U.N. in Geneva, asked that they join us in promoting accountability for those responsible for the coup, including through targeted sanctions. The United Nations human rights investigator for Myanmar said there were growing reports of photographic evidence that security forces have used live ammunition against protesters in violation of international law. Thomas Andrews said that the U.N. Security Council should consider imposing sanctions, arms, and travel bans.
Myanmar’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva said that it would maintain cooperation with the U.N. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, adding. We do not want to stall the nascent democratic transition in the country. Three people are wounded when police fire rubber bullets to break up a crowd of protesters in the southeastern town of Mawlamyine, a Myanmar Red Cross official told Reuters. Footage broadcast by Radio Free Asia shows police charging at protesters, grabbing one of them, and striking him in the head. Stones are then thrown at the police before the shots are fired.
Three got shot one woman in the womb one man on his cheek, and one man on his arm said Myanmar Red Cross official Kyaw Myint who witnessed the clash. Protesters demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi gather in front of the Chinese Embassy in Yangon. Beijing has been determined not to criticize the military coup, while the U.S. has decided to impose sanctions. Reduce the distribution of the Myanmar military’s content and profiles, saying they have continued to spread misinformation after the coup. The measures which are not a ban but are aimed at reducing the number of people who see the content will apply to an official page run by the army and one by a spokesperson the company said in a statement, as well as any additional pages that the military controls that repeatedly violate our misinformation policies.
The pages will also not appear on news feeds as recommended. Facebook said it had also suspended the ability for Myanmar government agencies to send content-removal requests to the company through the normal channels used by authorities across the world. Facebook’s move comes as the military government proposes a cybersecurity bill that would give the state sweeping powers to police the internet. U.K. Ambassador Julian Braithwaite says the coup has to be reversed. He also calls for the release of detained political leaders and activistsMyanmar’s ambassador says such country-specific resolutions are not acceptable.
Friday’s special session follows a move by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to reengage immediately and robustly with the U.N. Human Rights Council. Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump distanced the U.S. from the council. Earlier in the session, Mark Cassayre, the U.S. deputy chief of mission to the U.N. in Geneva reiterates American condemnation of the coup and calls for the immediate restoration of the country’s democratic institutions. The U.S. urges other council members to join us in promoting accountability for those responsible for the coup, including through target sanctions Cassayre says.
Also earlier in the session, Ambassador Myint Thu of Myanmar says the military was compelled to take the state responsibility in response to post-election irregularities and following complex situations echoing the junta’s stated justification for the coup. Prodemocracy demonstrators in Thailand and Myanmar are pooling ideas as they protest against their respective governments, including statements of defiance like the three-finger salute inspired by The Hunger Games films, Nikkei Asia reports from Bangkok.
Thai protesters yelled on Wednesday as they clanged metal pots and clattered everything from ladles to chopsticks, echoing recent expressions of discontent in Myanmar. The Thai protesters want to strike down the criminal code the controversial law of lese-majeste. Myanmar has inspired pot-banging in Thailand. The three-finger salute Myanmar’s protesters have taken up was first seen in Thailand in 2010 at Red Shirt rallies.
The Hunger Games film series dates from and portrays characters battling a totalitarian regime. Myanmar demonstrators have added a red ribbon to their version, the color of Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted ruling party, the National League for Democracy. The U.S. calls on other member states of the United Nations to join it and other countries in pressuring Myanmar’s coup leaders, including through targeted sanctions such as those Washington imposed. Mark Cassayre, charge d’affaires at the U.S. mission to the U.N. in Geneva, asked that they join us in promoting accountability for those responsible for the coup, including through targeted sanctions. The United Nations human rights investigator for Myanmar said there were growing reports, photographic evidence” that security forces have used live ammunition against protesters in violation of international law. Thomas Andrews said that the U.N. Security Council should consider imposing sanctions an arms embargo and travel bans.
Myanmar’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, said that it would maintain cooperation with the U.N. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, adding We do not want to stall the nascent democratic transition in the country. Three people are wounded when police fire rubber bullets to break up a crowd of protesters in the southeastern town of Mawlamyine, a Myanmar Red Cross official told Reuters. Footage broadcast by Radio Free Asia shows police charging at protesters, grabbing one of them, and striking him in the head. Stones are then thrown at the police before the shots are fired.
one woman in the womb one man on his cheek and one man on his arm said Myanmar Red Cross official Kyaw Myint who witnessed the clash. Protesters demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi gather in front of the Chinese Embassy in Yangon. Beijing has been determined not to criticize the military coup, while the U.S. has decided to impose sanctions.
Facebook said it would reduce the distribution of the Myanmar military’s content and profiles, saying they have continued to spread misinformation” after the coup. The measures which are not a ban but are aimed at reducing the number of people who see the content will apply to an official page run by the army and one by a spokesperson, the company said in a statement, as well as any additional pages that the military controls that repeatedly violate our misinformation policies.
The pages will also not appear on news feeds as “recommended.” Facebook said it had also suspended the ability for Myanmar government agencies to send content-removal requests to the company through the normal channels used by authorities across the world. the move comes as the military government proposes a cybersecurity bill that would give the state sweeping powers to police the internet.
Aung Kyi Nyunt, an Upper House lawmaker, and an NLD Central Executive Committee member tells Nikkei Asia that he welcomes U.S. sanctions as they are very good for the people adding they can give strength to the people. He also calls on all civil servants to join the civil disobedience movement. Military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun comments on U.S. sanctions They have already announced that they would do it. And now they did it. Apart from that, I have nothing to say.
A car workshop owner who was protesting near Sule Pagoda Street in downtown Yangon says We heard that the U.S. will keep on helping the Myanmar people. The sanctions will block the military business, so we welcome such kind of actions. He added we will continue civil disobedience to end the dictatorship. The military can’t do anything without people. Another protestor a sales and marketing employee, said I want the international community to take real actions against the military rather than just issuing statements. International organizations already know the situation. They need to support democracy.
Protesters gather in front of the Chinese Embassy in Yangon over a statement posted on the embassy’s Facebook page Wednesday night. Rumors were circulating that Chinese cargo planes had arrived in Myanmar with equipment to control the internet. But the embassy posted a statement by the China Enterprises Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar saying the aircraft was only carrying goods such as seafood and urged that rumors not be spread. Demonstrators gradually start to march in Yangon and elsewhere for the sixth day since large scale street protests started on Saturday.
One of Aung San Suu Kyi’s closest aides, Kyaw Tint Swe, was detained overnight in a new wave of arrests, an official with Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party says in a post on Facebook. Kyaw Tint Swe had served as minister for the Office of the State Counsellor under Suu Kyi. NLD information committee member Kyi Toe said Kyaw Tint Swe and four others had been taken from their homes. One European voice on the potential impact of fresh sanctions on Myanmar’s coup leaders I don’t believe they will care France 24 senior reporter Cyril Payen says. The United Nations Human Rights Council will on Friday debate a resolution drafted by Britain and the European Union that would condemn Myanmar’s military coup, Reuters reports, citing a text of the draft.
The U.N. Security Council stopped short of using the word condemn in its statement on the situation in Myanmar, which the body did not call a coup. In his announcement of actions against the coup leader U.S. President Biden says America will use its renewed engagement on the U.N. Human Rights Council to strengthen the world’s commitment to human rights in Myanmar. U.S. President Joe Biden announces a series of actions to begin imposing consequences on the leaders of the Myanmar coup.
Biden says he has approved a new executive order to freeze U.S. assets that benefit the Myanmar military, impose export controls and take other measures. The U.S. government is taking steps to prevent the generals from improperly having access to $1 billion of Burmese government funds held in the United States Biden says in a news conference. The military must relinquish the power it seized and demonstrate respect for the will of the people in Burma as expressed in their Biden says.
Biden says the U.S. has engaged in vigorous diplomatic outreach in the Indo-Pacific region on the situation in Myanmar. Wednesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken share grave concerns over the situation in Myanmar during a roughly 40-minute phone call according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry readout of the talks.
The Japanese and U.S. top diplomats condemn Myanmar security forces for shooting at demonstrators in Naypyitaw and agree to urge an immediate halt to violence against civilians. They also agree to call on the Myanmar military to release Suu Kyi and other detainees and to promptly restore democratic governance. A United Nations human rights expert warns that Myanmar’s security forces risk prosecution under international law if they use excessive force against peaceful protestors.
Myanmar military personnel and police need to know that ‘following orders’ is no defense for committing atrocities and any such defense will fail regardless of their place in the chain of command Thomas Andrews, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, says. International crimes are manifestly unlawful. As protesters take their message peacefully to the streets of Myanmar, I remind all security officials and officers that they must not use excessive force against peaceful protesters Andrews says in The military’s seizure of power in Myanmar risks dealing a major blow to the country
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who seized power in a coup himself, said he received a letter from Myanmar’s new junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, asking for help in supporting democracy in the country. Prayuth, who overthrew an elected prime minister in and stayed in office after an election in 2019 his rivals claimed was flawed, told reporters in Bangkok that he had always supported democracy in the neighboring country. We are supportive of the democratic process in Myanmar but what is most important today is to maintain good relations because it impacts the people, the economy, border trade, particularly now.
Large scale protests continue in the main city of Yangon. Many young people dressed up in costumes to express a form of political satire toward In the capital, Naypyitaw, hundreds of government workers march in support of a growing civil disobedience campaign, according to Reuters. Irrawaddy, a local media outlet in Myanmar said that more than 20 police officers in Kayah state in the eastern part of the country joined protesters and marched in uniform.
Separately, a clinic that had been treating wounded protesters in Naypyitaw on Tuesday was taken over by soldiers a doctor told Reuters. Another doctor said a female protester was expected to die from a gunshot wound to the head sustained during a confrontation with police in the capital on Tuesday. She was wounded when police fired, mostly into the air, to clear protesters. Three other people were being treated for wounds from suspected rubber bullets, doctors said.
Protestors start to gather around Yangon’s city hall as well as in the Hledan district, the commercial hub, marking the fifth day of large-scale street protests since they began on Saturday. Typically in Yangon, most of the people start to and disperse around a.m. Myanmar’s return to military rule makes it look as if democracy in Asia is hitting the skids writes James Crabtree in a commentary for Nikkei Asia. But rather than a uniform picture of decline, a new Asian democratic divide is opening up instead and one with far-reaching geopolitical implications, not least for U.S. President Joe Biden’s agenda of global democratic renewal.1:50 a.m. The U.S. government has begun to review assistance to Myanmar in light of last week’s coup, State Department spokesperson Ned Price tells reporters.
Price condemns violence against protesters and reiterates the Biden administration’s call for the military to relinquish power in Myanmar. Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on topics including the situation in Myanmar, Price says in a statement. linken expressed concern over the military coup and the importance of rule of law and the democratic process in Burma in his call with the Indian external affairs minister, according to Price All instruments should be on the table” for the European Union to react to the Myanmar coup says David McAllister, a member of the European Parliament from Germany and chairman of the body’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
McAllister in a Twitter post condemns the coup as a clear violation of the country’s constitution and calls for the release of detained political leaders and activists. Earlier today an organization representing the Myanmar community in Hong Kong issued a statement of support for the anti-coup protesters. We are in full solidarity with the civil disobedience movement and nonviolent demonstrations the Solidarity Committee of Myanmar Citizens in Hong Kong says. We do not recognize the [junta-established] ‘State Administration Council’ as our government and will only recognize the elected members of parliament.”
Police raid the headquarters of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, Reuters, and other media outlets report, citing NLD lawmakers. A dozen officers forced their way into the building after dark, according to Reuters’ report. Yangon, where the NLD offices are located, is under a curfew. The Irrawaddy reports on injuries at today’s protests. Meanwhile, Myanmar state television says police were attacked and insulted during protests, and broadcasts show images of officers described as having been injured.
Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor’s two assembly plants in Myanmar will remain closed until Feb. 14 after the automaker decides to halt operations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. the automaker says the decision was made to make the safety of our workers our top priority according to a spokesperson. Suzuki has yet to decide on operations from Monday onward. Production at the factories was already scheduled to be off from Friday to Sunday. Suzuki produced about 11,000 vehicles in Myanmar last year.
Local media outlet 7Day News reports that a 19-year-old female protester is undergoing emergency surgery at a large hospital in Naypyitaw. It says U Min Thu, the local National League for Democracy chairman, has confirmed the critical shooting. Police in Naypyitaw, the capital fired live rounds into the air to disperse protesters, Reuters reports. Three people were treated in a clinic after apparently being hit by rubber bullets. The three and another protester with head injuries were later transferred to the hospital.
Reuters reports that at least 27 people including a journalist have been arrested in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city as protesters defied bans on gatherings amid nationwide dissent against the junta. A journalist from the Democratic Voice of Myanmar told the news agency he had been detained filming the rally and that security personnel had beaten people. The military deploys troops to Hleidan Center, Yangon’s main shopping area in the city center, which has emerged as a key rallying point for protests. Soldiers have been positioned behind police lines, blocking nearby streets. At least six military trucks and 50 to 100 soldiers are in the vicinity, but no confrontations reported so far.
Singaporean businessman Lim Kaling, a board member of Hong Kong-listed gaming hardware maker Razer, will exit from his business linked to the Myanmar military. According to a statement posted online by an activist group, Justice for Myanmar Lim said he will offload his one-third stake in a company that owns RMH Singapore which in turn owns 49% of Virginia Tobacco Company in Myanmar. The tobacco company is co-owned by military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings, according to a United Nations report in 2019. The activist group on Sunday launched an online petition on Change.org calling for Razer to remove him from the board unless he ends the Myanmar business.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says her government will suspend all high-level political and military contact with Myanmar. The country also will impose a travel ban on Myanmar’s military leaders and ensure that New Zealand’s aid to the country excludes projects that benefit the military government. A few hundred protesters gather in downtown Yangon with some holding banners reading Do not allow dictatorship. People also have started to march again in Hledan township, the city’s main commercial district. Meanwhile, the military has ordered a full curfew across Yangon.
The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a special session on the situation in Myanmar on Friday following a call for a meeting by the U.K. and European Union.2:50 President Joe Biden discusses the situation in Myanmar in a call to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two leaders resolved that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld in Burma, according to a White House readout of their call. Human Rights Watch is urging the United Nations Security Council to take stronger measures in response to the Myanmar coup. Council members need to send a strong signal to Myanmar gloves are off Louis Charbonneau says in a statement. They should circulate a draft resolution that would impose an arms embargo on Myanmar and global travel bans and asset freezes on the entire military leadership.
If China vetoes it, they will have to answer for their actions – and the consequences Charbonneau says. Charbonneau says that China, with Russia’s backing, initially blocked a council statement voicing concern about the coup and calling for the release of Suu Kyi and others, only allowing a diluted version to later pass. China’s mission to the U.N. has denied such assertions, calling them irresponsible rum
Contact with the outside world is increasingly restricted, with international calls failing to go through and an internet block is still in place. Thousands of protesters marched for a second day in Yangon. Some carried red balloons the signature color of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party and chanted We don’t want military dictatorship! We want democracy By mid-morning about 100 people had also gathered in the coastal town of Mawlamyine in the southeast, and students and doctors were gathering in the city of Mandalay.
False information claiming that Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest spreads among the people across the country amid an internet blackout, leading many supporters to go out to celebrate. However, Khin Maung Zaw, a lawyer who represents Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, confirmed to journalists that the information is false Australia’s foreign minister says Canberra is deeply concerned about reports that an Australian national has been detained in Myanmar, days after a military coup. Local media identified the Australian as Sean Turnell, an economic adviser to Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The British Embassy in Myanmar expresses concern over how the shutdown may potentially be used against the people of Myanmar. The U.K. has been clear that the state of emergency must not be used as a smokescreen for a crackdown on rights and freedoms the mission tweets. The internet shut down came as over 1,000 demonstrators peacefully marched in the commercial district of Hledan in Yangon to protest against the coup. Lines of police officers stood by and faced off against the crowd, according to local reports. The Japanese embassy notified nationals resident in Myanmar that the new blockages.
London-based independent internet service watchdog NetBlocks claimed that the country is experiencing a near-total internet shutdown. Internet connectivity was at 16% of ordinary levels as of Saturday local time, it said. A peaceful flash-mob protest takes place near the Hleidan Center, Yangon’s main shopping area. A group of ten walked along the street silently holding up messages written on A3 paper saying Military Coup. The group dispersed when police appeared. Although internet services including Twitter and Instagram are still blocked, sporadic protests and strikes are occurring elsewhere in the city. Contact with the outside world is increasingly restricted, with international calls failing to go through and an internet block is still in place.
Thousands of protesters marched for a second day in Yangon. Some carried red balloons the signature color of the Aung San Suu Kyi National League for Democracy party and chanted We don’t want military dictatorship! We want democracy By mid-morning about 100 people had also gathered in the coastal town of Mawlamyine in the southeast, and students and doctors were gathering in the city of Mandalay.10:00 p.m. False information claiming that Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest spreads among the people across the country amid an internet blackout, leading many supporters to go out to celebrate. However, Khin Maung Zaw, a lawyer who represents Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, confirmed to journalists that the information is false.
Australia’s foreign minister says Canberra is “deeply concerned” about reports that an Australian national has been detained in Myanmar, days after a military coup. Local media identified the Australian as Sean Turnell, an economic adviser to Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Ky.
The British Embassy in Myanmar expresses concern over how the shutdown may potentially be used against the people of Myanmar. The U.K. has been clear that the state of emergency must not be used as a smokescreen for a crackdown on rights and freedoms the mission tweets. The internet shut down came as over 1,000 demonstrators peacefully marched in the commercial district of Hledan in Yangon to protest against the coup. Lines of police officers stood by and faced off against the crowd, according to local reports. The Japanese embassy notified nationals resident in.
Although internet services including Twitter and Instagram are still blocked, sporadic protests and strikes are occurring elsewhere in the city. Myanmar’s military-appointed Union Election Commission in a statement dated Friday, says it has begun an investigation into voter fraud in the 2020 general election. During the investigation, the letters of accreditation issued to members of parliament will have no effect on the government-run English-language daily The Global New Light of Myanmar reports in its Saturday issue. The military has alleged fraud in the November election, which produced a landslide win for the Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy, the party that formed the backbone of the civilian government before this week’s state of emergency.
The Globa New Light the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says. In scrutinizing the official voter list issued by the UEC the findings showed that over 10.4 million votes, about one-fourth of eligible voters, might have caused vote-rigging in the election. The rejection of the previous Government to take action on repeated calls to address voting irregularities and frauds clearly violated Section 417 of the State Constitution 2008 the ministry says, calling this tantamount to an attempt to take the sovereignty of the Union by wrongful forcible means and to disintegrate national solidarity.
MPT, Myanmar’s largest telecom provider, has blocked access to Twitter through its network as of midnight, sources familiar with the matter tell Nikkei Asia. The move comes as users were shifting to the messaging platform after the military cut off access to Facebook the previous day. Norway’s Telenor Group, which provides telecom services in Myanmar issues a statement on the government order. All mobile operators, international gateways, and internet service providers in Myanmar received a directive on 5 February 2021 from the Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications to, until further notice, block the social media platforms Twitter and Instagram. This comes in addition to the current temporary block of Facebook.
While the directive has a legal basis in Myanmar’s telecommunications law, Telenor Myanmar has challenged the necessity and proportionality of the directive in its response to MoTC and highlighted the directive’s contradiction with international human rights law the statement adds. Telenor Group is gravely concerned with this development in Myanmar and emphasizes that freedom of expression through access to communication services should be maintained at all times especially during times of conflict.
Teachers in Myanmar become the latest group to join a civil disobedience campaign. Wearing red ribbons and holding protest signs, scores of educators gather in front of buildings at the Yangon University of Education. We don’t want this military coup, which unlawfully seized power from our elected government said a lecturer. We are no longer going to work with them. We want the military coup to fail she added, surrounded by other staff who held three-finger salutes, now used by many protesters in Myanmar.
One staff member estimated that 200 of the 246 university staff members joined the protest. There were also reports of a similar protest at Dagon University in Yangon. Banks agree to suspend all financial services due to poor Internet connections during the current political crisis, the Myanmar Bankers Association says. The banks are seeking permission from the central bank for the temporary closure, the statement says.11:47 a.m. Rohingya refugees condemn the overthrow of a democratically elected government in Myanmar by the military on Monday, a community leader says.
We are working with the Royal Thai Army to negotiate with the Myanmar side, asking them to help businesses to move back cars and trucks, which carried goods into Myanmar to get back to Thailand, Anurag tells Nikkei Asia. Thailand’s border trade value at the Chiang Rai border was worth around 10.5 billion baht ($351 million) in 2020, according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce The National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) meets in the presidential palace in Naypyitaw, the national capital, chaired by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. It discusses alleged irregularities in 10.4 million votes cast in the November general election. Myanmar has 38 million eligible voters.
The military says it issued six warnings about the problem, and that 20 small political parties had put out 26 statements calling for the postponement of the opening of parliament. The NDSC said the violation of Section 417 of the 2008 Constitution, which relates to gaining power fraudulently and thereby compromising national sovereignty, justified invoking Section 418 (a) whereby legislative, executive and judicial powers are handed over to the commander in chief of the defense services a judicial coup of sorts
Myint Swe, the former third vice president and the new pro tem (a Latin term meaning “for the time being or provisional) president of Myanmar issues a six-point statement justifying the coup after earlier signing all the state of emergency documents. He chastises the Union Election Commission for failing to ensure a free, fair, and transparent election thereby compromising national sovereignty. It cites Section 417 of the constitution, which states that taking power through wrongful forcible means” causes the loss of national sovereignty. If Section 417 is violated, Section 418 (a) can be invoked to transfer all legislative, judicial, and executive powers to the commander in chief of the defense service. Clause six says the emergency declaration will remain in place for one year and makes no mention of a new general election.
These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says. 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.10:00 a.m. Residents in Yangon are lining up to withdraw cash from their bank accounts. Myanmar state TV says in a Facebook post that it is having technical errors and unable to broadcast.
Myanmar’s military has detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, the ruling National League for Democracy tells Nikkei.NLD spokesperson Myo Nyunt says the situation regarding NLD lawmakers is unclear, with parliament scheduled to convene on the day. According to the spokesperson The military should abide by the law. We need broad support from the international community to protect the democracy in Myanmar.
