On Feb. 1, the military opposition in Myanmar staged a coup detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi due to election results in favor of her challenging National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Since then, the military in Myanmar has detained hundreds of political officials and declared a state of emergency for up to one year. An active restructuring of power continues, with 24 government officials already having been replaced.

As of Monday evening, Suu Kyi was released from detention but placed under house arrest. Charges by the military accuse Suu Kyi of illegally importing walkie-talkies. President U Win Myint also faces charges for disobeying coronavirus restrictions. Although these accusations are most likely illegitimate, a criminal offense on the record in Myanmar can prevent politicians from running for reelection. In this way, the military continues to threaten the rise of democracy in Myanmar, placing the country’s political future in jeopardy. 

Introducing Myanmar’s Fraught Political Situation

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a country located in Southeast Asia known for its myriad of cultural and ethnic groups. Though the country achieved independence from Britain in 1948, an oppressive military regime came to power in 1962 that ruled for almost the next five decades. Military rule plunged the country deep into poverty and resulted in severe crackdowns on journalists, artists and activists. The country's government began to liberalize after the military started to loosen its grip in 2011. 

Activist and political leader Aung San Suu Kyi is well known for her nonviolent movements toward democracy in Myanmar. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while being held under house arrest from 1989 to 2010. Suu Kyi founded the National League for Democracy (NLD), which led the first civilian government in the country’s history after winning a landslide election in 2015. Since then, Suu Kyi has remained the head of Myanmar’s government. 

However, Suu Kyi’s record remains tarnished. Her government has received international condemnation for human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in Myanmar. In 2017, the military forced a crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim population in Rakhine state, causing over 700,000 refugees to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. Myanmar claims the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and refuses to offer them citizenship and basic human rights. Suu Kyi appeared before the International Court of Justice in 2019, where she denied that the crimes committed against the Rohingya counted as genocide. 

In November 2020, national elections predicted a landslide win for Suu Kyi’s NLD. The military government claims election fraud, although this has been disproven by Myanmar’s election committee. Dissatisfied with the election results, the military seized power on Feb. 1 as parliament was about to open. Executive power has been granted to long-standing military leader Min Aung Hlaing. International flights, the internet and social media were all shut down amid the coup. Even a few days later, Wi-Fi access remains spotty in parts of the country. 

International Reaction and Opposition

The coup has received harsh international condemnation, with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling the military’s actions a "serious blow to democratic reforms." The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting after the coup but took no action as China and Russia refused to denounce it. Other Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, claim that the coup is an “internal matter” and do not want to meddle in Myanmar’s political affairs. 

Resistance to the coup in picked up on Feb. 7, as tens of thousands of protesters crowded the streets of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. Many people have banged pots and pans denouncing the coup, while medical workers have walked out and posted photos standing together in solidarity wearing ribbons. 

Recent events in Myanmar and around the world reveal the fragility of democracy. Only time will reveal the resounding effects of the coup on Myanmar’s political story. 

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Megan is a Turkish-American student at Wellesley College in Massachusetts studying Biological Sciences. Passionate about environmental issues and learning about other cultures, she dreams of exploring the globe. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, singing, and composing music.