Myanmar Coup: What is Happening Now?

On Feb. 1, Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were arrested in a series of raids.. The country’s leader, Suu Kyi, and members of her party were detained, although there was no major violence. It is not the first time that a coup has occurred in Myanmar, but why now?

Armed forces dominated Myanmar from 1962 until a new government began in 2011. Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest because she had pursued democracy in Myanmar; she also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. 

Since the first coup in (when was the last coup?), Min Aung Hlaingis the current commander-in-chief. He has significant political influence even though Myanmar shifted from governing via armed forces to democracy.

An opposition party and the army complained that the recent win of Suu Kyi’s party in the November 2020 election was a fraud and the Myanmar military declared a one-year state of emergency. However, no evidence exists of fraud. 

 In an article for the BBC News, South Asia Correspondent, Jonathan Head, analyzed the reasons behind the coup’s timing.

“The timing of this coup is also easily explained,” Head said. “This week is the first session of parliament since the election was due to start, which would have enshrined the election result by approving the next government.”

The army has feared Suu Kyi’s party tried to weaken their power, even though army members received a quarter of parliament seats and their members have crucial positions in government.  

The opposition party (who are they, do they have a name?) demands another  election and to keep Suu Kyi’s restraint in Nov. 3.3. when it was two days later of the coup (? what is this saying?).

This coup also has drawn the attention of concerned citizens. In an article for the BBC News, one Yangon-based businessman, who asked not to remain anonymous, said the coup has been relatively peaceful. 

“So far it’s peaceful, without protests, but emotions are strong and people are upset,” he said. “It’s likely to have an impact on the economy, but the effect of any Western sanctions will depend on whether they’re broad or they target the coup leaders.”

The people in Myanmar have been demanding democracy, so this coup aroused a people’s anger and confusion.

Myanmar’s military authorities shut down the internet and limited some phone lines. They also blocked access to some social media to limit free speech. 

The internet shutdown caused people to protest on the streets of Yangon, Myanmar’s capital. In an article for the NPR KOSU, Michael Sullivan shared the protest situation. 

“People passing by in their cars honk their solidarity with the protesters, many of whom are carrying the red peacock flag of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, with many, many others holding up three fingers in the salute of defiance from The Hunger Games,” Sullivan said. “Today’s protests were peaceful. There was a heavy police presence, but there was no violence.”

Many people thought Myanmar was moving forward to democracy, despite long-time resistance, toward a bright and peaceful future. Instead, they seem to have repeated history. 

In an article for BBC News, Gerard McCarthy, a postdoctoral fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Asia Research Institute, sees there is still hope.

“They do not want to head back to a military future. They see Suu Kyi as a bulwark against a return to military power,” McCarthy said. “If we start seeing major protests beginning, then we are into a major crisis.”