Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi detained in a possible military coup

Yangon: Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other senior officials have been detained by the military on early Monday.

The information was confirmed by the spokesperson of the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson Myo Nyunt told Xinhua.

“I received internal reports about our state counsellor and the president being taken by the military. As far as I was informed, Shan State’s Planning and Finance Minister U Soe Nyunt Lwin, Kayah state’s NLD chairman Thaung Htay and some NLD representatives of the Ayeyarwady region’s Parliament have been detained,” the spokesperson said.

“Two members of the Central Executive Committee of the party were taken and I am also waiting to be detained as I was informed by our members that my turn will come shortly,” he added.

This comes in wake of the tensions between the government and the military stoking fears of a coup. The country was under military rule till 2011. Suu Kyi spent many years under house arrest, according to media reports.

The newly-elected lower house of the parliament was due to convene on Monday however the military called for a postponement. Media reports also suggest that telephone and internet lines in Naypyitaw, the country’s capital, have been suspended.

According to Sputnik, In January, Myanmar’s military raised the prospect of a coup d’etat after what they believed was widespread voter fraud during the November 8 election, which was the country’s second general election since the end of military rule in 2011.