Burma’s political situation changed after the detention on Monday (Feb. 1) of several ruling party officials, including senior state minister and substantive leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. Myanmar’s government forces seized power and declared a year-long state of emergency. The news drew bipartisan condemnation from the U.S. Congress and calls from several lawmakers for the immediate release of the detained officials.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) raised concerns about the situation in Burma in a floor speech Monday, noting that the Biden administration has briefed Congress on the situation.
“Congress stands ready to work with the new Biden Administration to address this situation,” Schumer said in his floor speech. “This region has long been of interest and concern to Republican leaders, so I hope that we can work together effectively in a bipartisan manner to ensure the best course of action in the interests of the United States and the people of Burma. the best course of action in the interests of the United States and the Burmese people.”
The Burmese military said in a statement Monday that the arrests were made in response to election fraud, saying elections will take place a year after the country enters a state of emergency and the military will hand power to the winner.
The Burmese military accused Myanmar’s election commission of failing to deal with “massive irregularities” in last November’s election and said the action was now necessary to maintain the country’s “stability”.
According to Reuters, Burma is now under the control of Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Min Aung Hlaing and three other senior Burmese military officials in 2019 in connection with the genocide of the Rohingya minority and accused them of serious human rights violations.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued a statement Monday calling the roundup of officials, including Aung San Suu Kyi, by the Burmese military shocking and completely unacceptable. “This is clearly a distressing step backwards for Burma’s slow and unstable democratic transition,” McConnell said.
“The Burmese people were able to vote again last year and have shown a high level of enthusiasm for it,” McConnell said in a statement, “The Burmese military must respect the democratic process and must respect that the Burmese people can expect to be self-governed, not ruled by brutal force.”
“Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy should work together to keep Burma united to move forward in an inclusive and democratic manner,” McConnell said in a written statement.
McConnell also called on the Biden administration and other democracies around the world to take a strong stand and condemn such attacks on democracy.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the soon-to-be chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement Monday that the coup by the Burmese military was a tragedy for the country’s people.
Menendez said, “Burma’s government forces have committed genocide against the Rohingya people and continue their campaign of violence against other ethnic minorities in Burma, and they should immediately release the leaders of the Burmese government and remove themselves from the government.”
Menendez also said the United States and other countries should impose strict economic sanctions on the Burmese government forces and military leaders if the Burmese government forces do not change course immediately.
President Joe Biden said in a statement Monday on the crisis situation in Burma that the Burmese military’s seizure of power, detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials, and declaration of a national emergency is a direct attack on Burma’s transition to democracy and the rule of law.
Biden also hinted at not ruling out the possibility of imposing sanctions on Burma again. “The United States has lifted sanctions over the last decade based on the democratic process in Burma. A reversal of that (democratic) process would require an immediate review of our sanctions statute and authority and appropriate action,” the White House statement said.
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement Monday evening expressed deep alarm at the military coup in Burma, while condemning in the strongest possible terms the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials.
“I am also deeply concerned by reports that the Burmese military has blocked the Internet across the country, which is a huge step in the wrong direction for the freedom and prosperity of Burma and its people,” Risch said in the statement.
He also said the United States will stand with the people of Burma and is prepared to make those who threaten Burma’s democratic process pay.
The bipartisan leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also called on the Burmese military in separate written statements to respect developments in the democratic process, saying that destabilizing the region would seriously affect the U.S. bilateral relationship with Burma.
“Today’s arrests by the Burmese military further subvert the country’s democratic process, disrupt global stability, and seriously jeopardize the future relationship between the United States and Burma,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) said in the statement.
He also continued to urge the Burmese military to respect the election results and release the arrested officials who were duly elected.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the ranking Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also condemned the Burmese military’s actions in a statement Monday.
“The crimes committed by the Burmese government military go far beyond ending Burma’s modest five-year democratic process to include the genocide of the Rohingya and the ongoing trampling of Burma’s democratic freedoms,” McCaul said, adding, “Despite the many opportunities afforded to it after sanctions were lifted in 2016, the Burmese government military has clearly failed to prove that it can play a legitimate and credible role on the world stage.”
“The Burmese government forces must cease arbitrary detentions, stop interfering with communications, and return to the path of democracy immediately, and must also face consequences for their actions,” McCall’s statement concluded.
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