JAKARTA, Feb 5 (Reuters): The leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia on Friday said they were seeking a special meeting of Southeast Asian nations to discuss the situation in Myanmar, where an elected government was overthrown in a coup this week.
Friday, 05 Feb 2021 01:33 PM MYT
Indonesian President Joko Widodo talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 5, 2021. Agus Suparto/Indonesia s Presidential Palace handout via Reuters
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JAKARTA, Feb 5 The leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia on Friday said they were seeking a special meeting of foreign ministers of Southeast Asian nations to discuss the situation in Myanmar, where an elected government was overthrown in a coup earlier this week.
Throwing a wedge in Myanmar’s long and troubled transition to democracy, the military took power on Monday, citing alleged irregularities in a November election won in a landslide by the party of Aung San Suu Kyi.
In the early hours of Feb 1, the day Myanmar's newly elected parliamentarians were to take their seats, the armed forces arrested senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), including State Counsellor and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar President Win Myint. The military declared a state of emergency, announcing it will govern the country for one year, after which it promises fresh elections. Understanding this political crisis requires unpacking the role of the military in Myanmar's beleaguered democratisation, the calculus of Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, and a geopolitical context dominated by China.
“The Philippine government is following with deep concern the developing situation in Myanmar, and is especially concerned with the safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. (File Photo By U.S. Department of State, Public Domain)
MANILA – The Philippine government on Tuesday expressed “deep concern” over the political strife in Myanmar and the arrest of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi after the country’s powerful military carried out a coup d’état on Feb. 1.
“The Philippine government is following with deep concern the developing situation in Myanmar, and is especially concerned with the safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
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To protect the countryâs democratic values, the international community will have to work with her elected party
Soldiers stand guard on a road in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on 1 February. Photograph: Aung-Shine/AP
Soldiers stand guard on a road in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on 1 February. Photograph: Aung-Shine/AP
Mon 1 Feb 2021 08.46 EST
Last modified on Tue 2 Feb 2021 03.33 EST
Myanmarâs democratic transition in the years following 2009 was a near-miracle. To see it so callously rolled back is a tragedy, a sign that the army is nervous about giving up its power and privileges to rowdy civilian rule, as in neighbouring Thailand. With a state of emergency declared for a year and important civilian leaders detained, notably the state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmarâs army will be tempted to turn the clock back and permanently hold on to power.