Washington: Calling the military’s seizure of power in Myanmar a direct assault on its transition to democracy, US President Joe Biden on Monday threatened to slap new sanctions on the country after the junta detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other political leaders.
According to media reports, an announcer on Myanmar’s military-owned Myawaddy TV declared on Monday morning that the military had taken control of the country for one year.
The military’s seizure of power in Burma (Myanmar), the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials, and the declaration of a national state of emergency are a direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and the rule of law, Biden said in a statement.
He said, “In a democracy, force should never seek to overrule the will of the people or attempt to erase the outcome of a credible election. For almost a decade, the people of Burma have been steadily working to establish elections, civilian governance, and the peaceful transfer of power. That progress should be respected.”
The US President also called on the global community to pressurize the Myanmar army in one voice.
The world condemned the coup
Governments and international organizations condemned the takeover, saying it sets back the limited democratic reforms Myanmar has made.
“This is an extremely crushing blow to efforts to present Myanmar as a democracy,“ said Linda Lakhdhir, a legal adviser at Human Rights Watch. ”Its creditability on the world stage has taken a massive hit.”
Watchdogs fear a further crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists, and others critical of the military. Even before the current military takeover, journalists, free speech advocates and critics of the military often faced legal action for publicly criticizing it.