Myanmar’s government overthrown in military coup

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (NBC) – The commander in chief of the armed forces became the new ruler of Myanmar a day after the military seized power in a coup and detained the country’s leader. The new ruler of Myanmar Tuesday morning is General Min Aung Hlaing, sanctioned twice by the US for alleged ethnic cleansing.

The coup began before dawn. Checkpoints were rolled out. State TV was blocked and started broadcasting military propaganda. Internet and cellphones went down. Within hours the takeover was complete.

The military announced it took over to overturn an election it lost in November, claiming widespread voter fraud. It was a coup to stop the alleged steal.

Civilian officials who had won by a landslide were detained including their leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi was once a hero of democracy and human rights, detained for 15 years, a Nobel Peace laureate. But her reputation plummeted when the military carried out a brutal campaign of expulsion often described by human rights groups as genocide against Myanmar’s mostly Muslim Rohingya people.

Her international credibility gone, Suu Kyi remains popular at home.

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson served on a commission for Myanmar and was once close to Suu Kyi. He said, “Aung San Suu Kyi’s role is a tragic one because she’s been an accomplice with the military and their oppression of the Rohingya refugees of democracy. And now, part of this compact with the devil has come to boomerang on her.”

President Biden has threatened to reimpose sanctions on Myanmar. But China, which is a neighboring country to Myanmar, has the most economic influence over the country and has, so far, remained mostly silent.