Myanmar coup: MEA expresses `deep concern`, says `rule of law and democratic process must be upheld`

NEW DELHI: India on Monday expressed ‘deep concerns’ over the detention of top Myanmar leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, by the country’s military junta and said that the ‘rule of law and democratic process must be upheld.’

“We have noted the developments in Myanmar with deep concern. India has always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar. We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld. We are monitoring the situation closely,’’ the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press statement.

Alarmed over the coup in Myanmar and the detention of the country's top political leaders, including State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, by the military junta, the US also said that it is monitoring the situation closely and threatened unspecified action if corrective steps are not taken to restore democracy.

"The United States is alarmed by reports that the Burmese military has taken steps to undermine the country's democratic transition, including the arrest of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials in Burma," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

"We continue to affirm our strong support for Burma's democratic institutions and, in coordination with our regional partners, urge the military and all other parties to adhere to democratic norms and the rule of law, and to release those detained today,” Psaki said.

President Joe Biden has been briefed by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, she said. "We are monitoring the situation closely and stand with the people of Burma, who have already endured so much in their quest for democracy and peace," Psaki said.

The United States expresses grave concern and alarm regarding reports that the Burmese military has detained multiple civilian government leaders, including State Counsellor Suu Kyi, and civil society leaders, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken said.

The reactions came after 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.

Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in an early morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy (NLD) said while confirming the development.

The detention of the senior leaders comes after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military, in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent. The NLD claimed victory after an election in November 2020, the country's second democratic ballot since the end of military rule in 2015.

Since her party won a landslide victory in 2015, Suu Kyi, the 75-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been Myanmar's de facto leader and held the position of state counsellor.

But her international reputation has been tarnished in recent years by allegations of genocide against Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya population. Myanmar denies the charges and has long claimed to have been targeting terrorists.