West condemns Myanmar coup, China's response more muted

[snoop1130]

West condemns Myanmar coup, China's response more muted

 

Soldiers stand guard at a Myanmar's military checkpoint on the way to the congress compound in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

 

(Reuters) - The United Nations led condemnation of Myanmar's military on Monday after it seized power, calling for the release of elected leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the developments were a "serious blow to democratic reforms" and urged all leaders to refrain from violence and respect human rights, a U.N. spokesman said.

 

The United States, Australia and Singapore expressed grave concern at the military's declaration of a state of emergency and the detentions, which the army said it had carried out in response to "election fraud".

 

"We call on Burmese military leaders to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on Nov. 8," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

 

The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on the detentions.

 

"The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar's democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

 

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne called on the military "to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others" who had been detained.

 

Singapore's Foreign Ministry urged all parties to exercise restraint and work towards a positive and peaceful outcome in comments that were echoed by Malaysia and Indonesia.

 

However, other fellow members of regional grouping, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), took a more hands off approach.

 

"It's their internal affairs," Thailand's deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters when asked about the coup in the country's northern neighbour. Cambodia and the Philippines made similar comments.

 

The detentions came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the military after the Nov. 8 election in which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) scored a landslide win.

 

The army on Monday handed power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposed a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-01

 

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[bluesofa]

28 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

West condemns Myanmar coup, China's response more muted

It seems China's response was so muted, that after the headline it wasn't even mentioned in the text of the article.

[Tropicalevo]

So the 'west' condemns a coup in Myanmar, but not a coup in Thailand. That's a bit worrying.

[webfact]

Coup prompts outcry from Myanmar as West ponders how to respond

 

Myanmar's military checkpoint is seen on the way to the congress compound in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

 

(Reuters) - Western leaders condemned the coup by Myanmar's military against Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government and hundreds of thousands of her supporters took to the social media to voice their anger at the takeover.

 

The sudden turn of events in the early hours of Monday derailed years of efforts to establish democracy in the poverty-stricken country and raised more questions over the prospect of returning a million Rohingya refugees.

 

The U.N. Security Council will meet on Tuesday, diplomats said, amid calls for a strong response to the detention of Suu Kyi and dozens of her political allies, although Myanmar's close ties with council member China will play into any decision.

 

U.S. President Joe Biden said the coup was a direct assault on Myanmar's transition to democracy and the rule of law.

 

Myanmar's military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically-elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy party in early morning raids. Matthew Larotonda reports.

 

The army handed power to military chief General Min Aung Hlaing and imposed a state of emergency for a year in the country, saying it had responded to what it called election fraud.

Min Aung Hlaing, who had been nearing retirement, promised a free and fair election and a handover of power to the winning party, without giving a timeframe.

 

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won a landslide 83% in a Nov. 8 election, said that she called on people to protest against the military takeover, quoting comments it said were written earlier in anticipation of a coup.

 

But the streets were quiet overnight after troops and riot police took up positions in the capital, Naypyitaw, and the main commercial centre Yangon. Phone and internet connections were disrupted.

 

Many in Myanmar voiced their anger on social media.

 

Data on Facebook showed more than 325,000 people had used the #SaveMyanmar hashtag denoting opposition to the coup, and some people changed profile pictures to black to show their sorrow or red in support of the NLD, often with a portrait of the 75-year-old Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

 

"We as a citizen of Myanmar not agree with the current move and would like to request the world leaders. UN and the world medias help our country - our leaders- our people - from this bitter acts," said one widely reposted message.

 

Four youth groups condemned the coup and pledged to "stand with the people" but did not announce specific action.

 

Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other NLD leaders were "taken" in the early hours of Monday morning, NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by phone. U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said at least 45 people had been detained.

 

MINISTERS REMOVED

Consolidating the coup, the junta removed 24 ministers and named 11 replacements to oversee ministries including finance, defence, foreign affairs and interior.

 

Banks said they would reopen on Tuesday after suspending services on Monday amid a rush to withdraw cash.

 

Yangon residents had rushed to stock up on supplies while foreign companies from Japanese retail giant Aeon to South Korean trading firm POSCO International and Norway's Telenor tried to reach staff in Myanmar and assess the turmoil.

 

Suu Kyi's election win followed about 15 years of house arrest between 1989 and 2010 and a long struggle against the military, which had seized power in a 1962 coup and stamped out all dissent for decades until her party came to power in 2015.

 

Her international standing as a human rights icon was severely damaged after she failed to stop the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas in 2017 and defended the military against accusations of genocide. But she remains hugely popular at home and is revered as the daughter of Myanmar's independence hero, Aung San.

 

"BROKEN WINGS"

The coup followed days of tension between the civilian government and the military. In the pre-written statement on Facebook, Suu Kyi was quoted as saying that an army takeover would put Myanmar "back under a dictatorship".

 

"I urge people not to accept this, to respond and wholeheartedly to protest against the coup by the military," it said. Reuters was unable to reach any NLD officials to confirm the veracity of the statement.

 

Supporters of the military celebrated the coup, parading through Yangon in pickup trucks and waving national flags.

 

"Today is the day that people are happy," one nationalist monk told a crowd in a video published on social media.

 

Democracy activists and NLD voters were horrified and angry. Four youth groups condemned the coup in statements and pledged to "stand with the people" but did not announce specific action.

 

"Our country was a bird that was just learning to fly. Now the army broke our wings," student activist Si Thu Tun said.

 

Senior NLD leader Win Htein said in a Facebook post the army chief's takeover demonstrated his ambition rather than concern for the country.

 

In the capital, security forces confined members of parliament to residential compounds on the day they had expected to take up their seats, representative Sai Lynn Myat said.

 

'POTENTIAL FOR UNREST'

The United Nations led condemnation of the coup and calls for the release of detainees and restoration of democracy in comments largely echoed by Australia, Britain, the European Union, India, Japan and the United States.

 

In Washington, President Biden called on the international community to press Myanmar's military to give up power, release detainees and refrain from violence against civilians. Those responsible for the coup would be held accountable, he said.

 

In Japan, a major aid donor with many businesses in Myanmar, a ruling party source said the government may have to rethink the strengthening of defence relations with the country undergone as part of regional efforts to counterbalance China.

 

China called on all sides in Myanmar to respect the constitution and uphold stability, but "noted" events in the country rather than expressly condemning them.

 

Bangladesh, which is sheltering around one million Rohingya who fled violence in Myanmar, called for "peace and stability" and said it hoped a process to repatriate the refugees could move forward. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh also condemned the takeover.

 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, called for "dialogue, reconciliation and the return to normalcy" while in Bangkok, police clashed with a group of pro-democracy demonstrators outside Myanmar's embassy.

 

"It's their internal affair," a Thai government official said - a hands-off approach also taken by Malaysia and the Philippines.

 

The November vote faced some criticism in the West for disenfranchising many Rohingya but the election commission rejected military complaints of fraud.

 

In its statement declaring the emergency, the military cited the failure of the commission to address complaints over voter lists, its refusal to postpone new parliamentary sessions, and protests by groups unhappy with the vote.

 

(Reporting by Reuters staff; writing by Matthew Tostevin and Philippa Fletcher; editing by Angus MacSwan)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-02

 

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[Poet]

Of course China has nothing to say, this is their current international relations strategy. Where do you think the tanks were made?

The future of South East Asia is military juntas, unofficially backed by China, who embark on massive public works scheme, such as high-speed trains or high-tech ports, which mostly create money for Chinese companies, jobs for Chinese workers, fat Swiss bank accounts for the generals, and generations of inescapable debt for the citizens. The same infrastructure will speed the extraction of raw materials from those countries to feed Chinese manufacturing, where the real money is made.

More importantly, this strategy irreversibly integrates these countries into China's own longterm plans. That is why the hub for all these new South East Asian railway lines is Kunming.

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by Poet

[steve187]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"It's their internal affairs," Thailand's deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters when asked about the coup in the country's northern neighbour. Cambodia and the Philippines made similar comments.

of course they would think this way, as they are in the same boat

[ChrisY1]

8 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

So the 'west' condemns a coup in Myanmar, but not a coup in Thailand. That's a bit worrying.

The coup of 2014 received a lot of condemnation, followed by a lot of broken promises of elections......but as often is the case, everyone forgets.....not too many people outside realise Thailand is ruled by the military, under the guise of an elected government.

[cooked]

Su Kyi, yes, it's all her fault. Her party just won an election and she got arrested. I guess she will still be attacked for not trying to help the poor innocent Rohingyas that were manipulated by powers after the oil, gas and mineral wealth in the Rakhine into calling out for the elimination of all non-Muslims and the declaration of an independent Islamic state.

Anybody really think she could have done anything about that? 

NEXT: start blaming evil British colonialists who left Burma to independence  in 1949.

Oh the Chinese: they paid for oil and gas pipeline to Kunming, QUITE by chance of course just before the Rohingyas started their armed rebellion. What are they supposed to do?

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by cooked
added remark about China

[Deli]

Great country with great people, they deserve so much better. After a week or so, it's forgotten. And the CCP has it's tentacles in again.

[Tropicalevo]

The west will respond to the coup in Myanmar in the same way that they responded to the coup in Thailand.

Why should it be any other way? No pondering needed.

[harada]

When the trough is threatened the tanks roll in, a familiar story.

[ExpatOK]

On 2/1/2021 at 5:33 PM, snoop1130 said:

The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on the detentions.

 

"The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar's democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

 

Ok, Joe_i, you wanted the job; you got it. Take some action. That's why you're paid the big bucks.

Edited February 4, 2021 by ExpatOK