Myanmar coup 2021 explained: Military detains politicians, declares state of emergency
Updated Feb 01, 2021;
Posted Feb 01, 2021
A Thai pro-democracy protester gestures at riot police in Bangkok on February 1, 2021, close to where Myanmar migrants were demonstrating after Myanmar s military detained the country s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country s president in a coup. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP) (Photo by LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
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Myanmar’s military staged a coup Monday and detained senior politicians including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi a sharp reversal of the significant, if uneven, progress toward democracy the Southeast Asian nation has made following five decades of military rule.
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Jakarta, Indonesia
Myanmar’s military has taken control of the country under a one-year state of emergency and reports say State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other government leaders have been detained. Here are some possible reasons why the military has taken over now:
The constitution
The announcement on military-owned Myawaddy TV cited Article 417 of the country’s constitution, which allows the military to take over in times of emergency. The announcer said the coronavirus crisis and the government’s failure to postpone November elections were reasons for the emergency.
The military drafted the constitution in 2008 and retains power under the charter at the expense of democratic, civilian rule. Human Rights Watch has described the clause as a “coup mechanism in waiting.”