Burma: how the army holds the country firmly

Burmese army appeared to be firmly in control of the country Tuesday in the aftermath of a bloodless coup in which it arrested leader Aung San Suu Kyi, multiple international condemnations remained unanswered from the generals. Contesting the legislative elections in November, the military declared a state of emergency for one year on Monday, abruptly ending a ten-year democratic parenthesis.

They arrested Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, and other leaders of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), just before the first session of parliament. The NLD called for the immediate “release” of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner and other leaders of the movement, denouncing a “stain in the history of the state and Tatmadaw”, the Burmese army.

Emergency meeting of the UN Security Council

This putsch has been condemned by many states, with Washington threatening to impose sanctions, and an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council will take place on Tuesday. 24 hours later, languages ​​were struggling to untie for fear of reprisals in a country that has lived, since its independence in 1948, under the yoke of military dictatorship for nearly 50 years.

No sign of a significant military presence was visible in Yangon, the economic capital, proof of the military’s confidence in their hold on the country, observers said. Telephone connections and Internet access, which had been severely disrupted the day before, were working again, the banks were reopened, but the Yangon international airport remained closed. The markets and streets, generally lively despite the coronavirus pandemic, were quieter than usual, even if a few residents went to the park for their morning exercises, journalists from Agence France-Presse noted.
Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest?

The army did not release any information about the whereabouts of Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other NLD officials arrested. “We were told that she was under house arrest at her home in Naypyidaw, the capital,” said a member of her party, herself under house arrest in the building where the deputies reside and on condition of anonymity. But we are worried, we would like photos to reassure us about his condition. ”

To justify their coup, the military assured that the November legislative elections, won overwhelmingly by the NLD, were tainted with irregularities, which the electoral commission denies. Sensing the events, Aung San Suu Kyi had prepared a message in anticipation, urging the Burmese not to accept the coup.

“They dared to carry out a coup d’état in the midst of a pandemic”

The military vowed to hold new free and fair elections after the one-year state of emergency is lifted, but the Burmese were pessimistic. “They dared to carry out a coup d’état in the midst of a pandemic. They can afford anything, ”said a taxi driver. The generals remained in any case silent in the face of strong condemnations from abroad.

US President Joe Biden called on the international community to “speak with one voice to demand that the Burmese army immediately hand over power”, with the UN and the European Union unanimously condemning the coup. State. Conversely, Beijing refused to criticize anyone, simply asking all parties to resolve the differences.

Burma accused of genocide against Rohingya

The head of the army Min Aung Hlaing, who now concentrates most of the powers, is an outcast for the Western capitals because of the bloody repression carried out by the military against the Rohingya Muslim minority, a tragedy which is worth to Burma of ” be accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the UN.

Aung San Suu Kyi, much criticized internationally for her passivity in this crisis which has led hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas to take refuge in Bangladesh, remains however adored in her country. Long in exile, Mother Suu returned to Burma in 1988, becoming the figure of the opposition to the military dictatorship. She spent fifteen years under house arrest before being released by the army in 2010. In 2015, the LND obtained a large majority and the ex-dissident was forced into a delicate sharing of power with the army again. very powerful.

Despite the Rohingya crisis, “the West must respect the outcome of the November legislative elections, which it won hands down,” said Derek Mitchell, former US ambassador to Burma. “It is not the person, it is the democratic process” that is at stake.

 

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