The military has taken control of Myanmar for one year, as reports claimed many of the country’s senior politicians – including Aung San Suu Kyi – had been detained.
Officials claimed there is a section of the military-drafted constitution that allows the armed forces to take control in times of national emergency, following concerns over recent elections.
Here is a timeline of events in the history of Myanmar since it gained independence.
– January 4 1948: The country then known as Burma gains independence from British colonial rule.
– 1962: Military leader Ne Win stages a coup and rules the country through a junta for many years.
– 1988: Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of an independence hero, returns to her home country as pro-democracy protests erupt against the junta. Security forces open fire on demonstrators in August protests, and hundreds are killed.
– July 1989: An increasingly outspoken critic of the junta, Ms Suu Kyi is put under house arrest.
– May 27, 1990: The National League for Democracy (NLD), founded by Ms Suu Kyi, wins a landslide victory in elections, but the military refuses to hand over power.
– October 1991: Ms Suu Kyi is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful struggle against the regime.
– November 7 2010: A pro-junta party wins Myanmar’s first elections in 20 years, a vote that was boycotted as unfair and rigged in its favour.
– November 13 2010: Ms Suu Kyi is freed from detention after spending long periods of the past two decades under house arrest.
I condemn the coup and unlawful imprisonment of civilians, including Aung San Suu Kyi, in Myanmar. The vote of the people must be respected and civilian leaders released.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 1, 2021
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– 2012: Ms Suu Kyi wins a by-election and takes her seat in parliament, holding public office for the first time.
– November 8 2015: The NLD wins a sweeping victory in general elections, the first to be held openly held since 1990.
The military retains significant power under a constitution that also bars Ms Suu Kyi from the presidency, but the position of state counsellor is created for her to lead the government.
– August 25 2017: Insurgents attack military outposts in the western state of Rakhine, killing dozens.
The military responds with a massive crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim population, who begin fleeing by the hundreds of thousands into Bangladesh.
– December 11 2019: Ms Suu Kyi defends the military in a case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, denying it had committed genocide.
– November 8 2020: Myanmar holds elections, with the NLD capturing an outright majority in parliament.
– January 29 2021: Myanmar’s election commission rejects the military’s allegations of fraud in the elections, finding no evidence to support the claims.
– February 1 2021: Myanmar military takes control of the country for one year, citing the government’s failure to act against its claims of voter fraud and refusal to postpone the November elections because of the coronavirus crisis.
Her party says Ms Suu Kyi is again placed under house arrest.
