In pics: Aung San Suu Kyi detained in Myanmar as military seizes control

SUMMARY

Myanmar's military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids.

By CNBCTV18.comFeb 2, 2021 4:32:45 PM IST (Published)

Myanmar’s military staged a coup and detained senior politicians including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi — a sharp reversal of the significant progress the country had made towards democracy following five decades of military rule.

Myanmar's military detained democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. Pictured -- An NLD supporter holds up a photo of leader Aung San Suu Kyi in front of Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok during a rally after the military seized power from a democratically elected civilian government and arrested her.

An announcement on Myanmar's military-owned Myawaddy TV said Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing would be in charge of the country for one year.

The military defended its action by stating that it was necessary because the government had not acted on the military's claims of fraud in elections held in November — wherein Suu Kyi's ruling party won a majority of the parliamentary seats up for grab — because it was held despite the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured -- A vehicle with Myanmar and military flags and supporters of the Myanmar military and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party passes by a row of police trucks in Yangon.

The takeover came on the day the country’s new parliamentary session was to begin. There were concerns that a coup was in the offing.

The military maintains its actions are legally justified — citing a section of the constitution it drafted that allows it to take control in times of national emergency — though Suu Kyi's party spokesman, as well as many international observers, have said it amounts to a coup.