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In Pictures: Myanmar military seizes power

Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, 75, came to power after a 2015 election win that followed years of house arrest.

Soldiers stand guard on a street in Naypyidaw. [AFP]
Soldiers stand guard on a street in Naypyidaw. [AFP]
1 Feb 2021
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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 (NLD) party in early morning raids.

The army said it carried out the detentions in response to “election fraud”, handing power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s party published comments it said she wrote in anticipation of a coup, urging people to protest the military takeover.

The coup derails years of Western-backed efforts to establish democracy in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, where neighbouring China also has a powerful influence.

The generals made their move hours before Parliament was to sit for the first time since the NLD’s landslide win in a November 8 election viewed as a referendum on Aung San Suu Kyi’s fledgeling democratic rule.

Phone and internet connections in the capital Naypyidaw and the main commercial centre Yangon were disrupted and state TV went off the air after the NLD leaders were detained.

Some pro-military supporters celebrated the coup, parading through Yangon in pick-up trucks and waving national flags.

People cross a road near Sule Pagoda on Monday in Yangon, Myanmar, after a coup was launched. [Thein Zaw/AP Photo]
People cross a road near Sule Pagoda on Monday in Yangon, Myanmar, after a coup was launched. [Thein Zaw/AP Photo]
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Soldiers deployed on a road in the capital Naypyidaw. The army said senior members of the NLD, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi, were detained over a dispute arising from elections held in November 2020. [Maung Lonlan/EPA]
Soldiers deployed on a road in the capital Naypyidaw. The army said senior members of the NLD, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi, were detained over a dispute arising from elections held in November 2020. [Maung Lonlan/EPA]
Buddhist and military flags are waved by army supporters, including Buddhist monks, in a vehicle in Yangon. [Thein Zaw/AP Photo]
Buddhist and military flags are waved by army supporters, including Buddhist monks, in a vehicle in Yangon. [Thein Zaw/AP Photo]
People line up outside a bank branch in Yangon on Monday after the coup was announced. [Reuters]
People line up outside a bank branch in Yangon on Monday after the coup was announced. [Reuters]
Soldiers block the road heading to Parliament in the capital Naypyidaw. [Maung Lonlan/EPA]
Soldiers block the road heading to Parliament in the capital Naypyidaw. [Maung Lonlan/EPA]
A soldier stands guard on a blockaded road to Parliament in Naypyidaw after the military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and its president in a coup. [AFP]
A soldier stands guard on a blockaded road to Parliament in Naypyidaw after the military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and its president in a coup. [AFP]
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Soldiers stand guard at a military checkpoint on the way to the Congress compound in Naypyidaw. [Reuters]
Soldiers stand guard at a military checkpoint on the way to the Congress compound in Naypyidaw. [Reuters]
Police block the road heading to the Yangon International Airport. [Nyein Chan Naing/EPA]
Police block the road heading to the Yangon International Airport. [Nyein Chan Naing/EPA]
Vehicles carrying police officers park at Sule Pagoda Road in Yangon. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]
Vehicles carrying police officers park at Sule Pagoda Road in Yangon. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]
Supporters of the Myanmar military gather near trucks adorned with the military flag, Buddhist religious flag, and national flag in Yangon. [Thein Zaw/AP Photo]
Supporters of the Myanmar military gather near trucks adorned with the military flag, Buddhist religious flag, and national flag in Yangon. [Thein Zaw/AP Photo]
Activists hold a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the United Nations University building in Tokyo after Myanmar's military seized power in a bloodless coup. [Philip Fong/AFP]
Activists hold a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the United Nations University building in Tokyo after Myanmar's military seized power in a bloodless coup. [Philip Fong/AFP]
Protesters from Myanmar residing in Japan rally against Myanmar's military. [Issei Kato/Reuters]
Protesters from Myanmar residing in Japan rally against Myanmar's military. [Issei Kato/Reuters]

Related

The army's coup comes hours ahead of Parliament's first sitting since the November elections which handed a majority to Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD [File: Yves Herman/Reuters]

Myanmar’s military stages coup d’etat: Live news

In a series of morning raids, the military arrests senior government members and declares a state of emergency.

Myanmar soldiers are seen inside City Hall in Yangon, Myanmar February 1, 2021 [Stringer/ Reuters]

Full text of Myanmar army statement on state of emergency

Myanmar’s military cites ‘terrible fraud’ in last November’s general election as a justification for seizing power.

Myanmar state TV said on Monday that the military was taking control of the country for one year, while reports said many of the country’s senior politicians including Suu Kyi had been detained [File: Aung Shine Oo/AP]

Military coup in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi detained

Military imposes state of emergency claiming election fraud, after detaining government officials, ruling party leaders.

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