State of Emergency Announced in Myanmar

 The Myanmar military has taken control of the country and declared a state of emergency for a year. In addition, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other government leaders were also detained. 

Highlights:

♦ The state emergency was declared because the November 2020 election was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government failed to resolve the situation. Therefore, the military took over Myanmar in accordance with Article 417 of the Myanmar Constitution. 

♦ Article 417 gives the army the power to take over in emergency situations. The military formulated the constitution of Myanmar in 2008 and retained powers under the charter, at the expense of democracy and civilian rule. 

♦ The military highlight is that in the November 2020 election, there were millions of irregularities on the voter list, of which Suu Kyi’s party won 396 of the 476 seats. However, the election commission rejected the military request.

♦ Now in Myanmar, telecommunications have ceased. Internet and telephone access have also been blocked. Many people’s social media accounts have been temporarily suspended. Barbed wire barriers were installed, and military forces overtook government buildings. 

♦ In addition, there is concern that human rights defenders, journalists and other critics of military personnel will be suppressed, because journalists, advocates and critics of freedom of speech have faced multiple legal proceedings even before the military takeover. 

♦ Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Bangladesh and India in the northwest, China in the northeast, Laos and Thailand in the east and southeast, and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal in the south region and southwest. In Southeast Asia, Myanmar is the largest mainland, but it is the tenth-largest country in Asia by region. 

♦ The capital of the country Myanmar is Naypyidaw. Yangon or Rangoon is the largest city in Myanmar. Myanmar borders the states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.