Myanmar saw a Coup ahead of a scheduled meeting of the bicameral parliament in Naypyidaw. The military of the country, Tatmadaw dissolved the assembly in the Coup-detat, alleging that there had been fraud in the elections held in November last year, which was won easily by the National League for Democracy, the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi, the elected State Counsellor, & President Win Myint have been detained by the military, which has imposed a year of emergency in the country. Many countries in the world, including the US, have raised concerns on the Coup of February 01, 2021, as Aung San Suu Kyi, a Peace Nobel Laureate, had played a crucial role in transition of the Myanmar polity from a military junta to a partial democracy in the 2010s. The Myanmar military, the Tatmadaw, has alleged that the November 2020 election was full of irregularities. It was also alleged that many people may have voted more than once, though the Union Election Commission in Myanmar had stated that there were no irregularities. While imposing the one-year emergency, the military, on its own TV channel, has stated that it would abide by the constitution, which it termed as the “mother of law”. During the coup, the power was handed over to the Army chief Min Aung Hlaing.

The NLD party stated that the Coup was imposed to put the people back into the clutches of dictatorship and urged the population to not accept the Coup. While China has shown relatively cold shoulders regarding the Coup, Bangladesh has called for peace & stability in the country. Bangladesh is concerned as it has been dealing with the fall-out of the clashes between the Rakihnes & Rohingyas in Myanmar. The clashes have also had their implications in the North-East of India, where numerous Rohingya refugees are known to have fled.

Tom Andrews, a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Myanmar, has described the February 01 Coup as a real mystery. A law professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and author of “The Constitution of Myanmar“, Melissa Crouch, said that it was still unclear what the military’s EndGame is after the Coup.

Australia has expressed deep concerns about the situation developing in  Naypyidaw and has asked the Myanmar military to respect the law & release the civilian leaders. Iran has stated that it has limited information on the situation in Myanmar. EU has condemned the Coup and the arrests of the civilian leaders.

The US administration led by Joe Biden has issued a strong statement castigating the Coup and stating that the US might take action.  The US is particularly miffed at the detention of the elected civilian leaders. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed grave concern & has urged the military, Tatmadaw to reverse its actions, adding that the US stands with the Burmese people in their aspirations for democracy, freedom, peace & development.