Myanmar’s Senior Minister of State Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
In the early hours of Monday (Feb. 1), Burma’s Senior Minister of State Aung San Suu Kyi (also known as Aung San Suu Kyi) and her government officials were arrested by the Burmese military in a sudden military turn of events, and their whereabouts are unknown. Myanmar Army TV then announced that state power had now been handed over to the military’s commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing. Later that day, the military announced the removal of officials from key government departments and the appointment of their successors. The U.S. White House condemned the move and said it was considering reverting to sanctions.
Later in the day, the Burmese military said it had replaced ministers in 11 central government departments and dismissed 24 deputy ministers in 19 government departments. The ministers of 11 central government departments, including the ministries of foreign affairs, defense, border affairs, finance and industry, investment and foreign economic relations, international cooperation, and health, were replaced. At the same Time, 11 successor officials were appointed to government ministerial-level positions.
According to official information, Myanmar’s current government consists of 24 ministries. The reshuffle involves the vast majority of Myanmar’s government departments.
In last year’s Nov. 8 election, Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy gained a bigger advantage than it did five years ago, securing 396 of the 476 seats in parliament, while the military’s proxy party, the United Unity and Development Party, controlled only 33 seats. In the weeks since, the military has accused Aung San Suu Kyi’s government of using electoral fraud to achieve a landslide victory, called for a new election, made allegations of widespread fraud, saying there were as many as 8.6 million instances of fraud, and had demanded that the Election Commission publish the final electoral rolls, which was not supported by the Election Commission.
The Burmese military confirmed that they had carried out the coup. It was the first coup against a civilian government since 1962 and a clear violation of the military’s commitment to uphold the constitution last Saturday (Jan. 30).
The Burmese military claims that after the end of the state of emergency, “free and fair general elections” will be held again and that the military will hand over power to the winning party. But on the other hand, the Burmese military will control the country during its year-long state of emergency, and is building a new government cabinet in short order.
On the news of the military coup in Burma, senior government officials, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, the European Union, Japan, Australia, Taiwan and many other parties, called on the Burmese military to abide by democratic norms and condemned the military coup and demanded the immediate release of the people involved.
U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement on January 1, condemning the military’s seizure of power as a direct attack on Burma’s transition to democracy and the rule of law, calling on the Burmese military to immediately relinquish the power it has seized, saying the U.S. will also hold accountable those who undermine Burma’s democratic transition and consider reinstating sanctions against Burma. Biden mentioned that the U.S. has lifted sanctions against Burma over the past 10 years based on democratic progress. But now that the situation has changed, it is necessary for the U.S. to evaluate the sanctions and take appropriate action.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also called for the release of all detainees and said the U.S. “stands with the people of Burma in defending their democratic aspirations.
In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the coup and the “unlawful imprisonment” of Aung San Suu Kyi. India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced its support for Myanmar’s democratic transition and called for the preservation of the rule of law and the democratic process.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the military’s move as a “heavy blow to democratic reform” and the Security Council is preparing to hold an emergency meeting to demand the release of at least 45 detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China has taken note of the developments in Myanmar and is ready to learn more about the situation, saying China is a friendly neighbor of Myanmar and hopes both sides will properly handle their differences under the constitutional and legal framework to maintain political and social stability.
On the news that Myanmar has returned to the military government era, Herve Lemahieu, a Myanmar expert at the Australian think tank Roy Institute for International Policy, noted that military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has been hinting that he would like to join politics as a citizen after retiring from the military, which would require the support of pro-military political parties, but that last November’s general election The ruling party’s coalition won the election last November, making him realize that he might not be able to take power through the election.
Bloomberg noted that Min Aung Hlaing met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last month and communicated closely with him. The fact that Min Aung Hlaing is now in power will test the Biden Administration, as Myanmar’s return to military rule means that the systems of democracies such as the United States will have difficulty influencing Southeast Asian political models through moral authority and economic and political means.
However, it has also been argued that Aung San Suu Kyi’s close ties with Beijing and her support for the “China-Myanmar Community of Destiny” expressed during her meeting with Xi Jinping in January 2020 will put pressure on Xi Jinping if she is captured. The arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi will put pressure on Xi Jinping.
Min Aung Hlaing and other senior military officials have been sanctioned by the U.K. and the U.S., and Min Aung Hlaing’s Facebook social media accounts have been blocked following revelations of the military’s brutal killings of Rohingya in 2017.
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