SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Governments around the world condemn Myanmar's military coup
Yangon, Feb 1 (AFP) Feb 01, 2021
The United States led governments around the world in calling for the restoration of Myanmar's democracy on Monday after the military staged a coup, arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians.

- United States -

The United States "will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed", White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

She added that the US opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of the November elections, which handed Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) an overwhelming landslide, but sparked allegations of vote irregularities by the routed military-backed party.

Newly appointed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called on Myanmar's military "to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on November 8."

Before the coup, Washington, alongside several other Western nations, had urged the military to "adhere to democractic norms" in a January 29 statement that came as the commander-in-chief threatened to revoke the country's constitution.

- Britain -

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the coup and Suu Kyi's imprisonment.

"The vote of the people must be respected and civilian leaders released," he tweeted.

- China -

China, which regularly opposes UN intervention in Myanmar, called for all sides to "resolve differences."

"China is a friendly neighbour of Myanmar and hopes the various parties in Myanmar will appropriately resolve their differences under the constitutional and legal framework to protect political and social stability," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing.

- United Nations -

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly" condemned the military's detention of Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders.

"These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms in Myanmar," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

- Japan -

Japan urged Myanmar's military to free Suu Kyi and to restore democracy.

"We request the release of stakeholders including state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi who was detained today," Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement urging "the national army to quickly restore the democratic political system in Myanmar."

- European Union -

European Council President Charles Michel strongly condemned the coup.

"The outcome of the elections has to be respected and democratic process needs to be restored," the former Belgian prime minister tweeted.

- Australia -

"We call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others who have been detained unlawfully," Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

- India -

"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," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

- ASEAN -

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "grave concern about the latest situation in Myanmar," adding hopes that all parties would "exercise restraint."

Indonesia's foreign minister likewise expressed "concern" while also urging "self-restraint."

But Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the situation is an "internal matter."

"Our primary concern is the safety of our people, he said. "Our armed forces are on standby in case we need to airlift them as well as navy ships to repatriate them if necessary."

- Norway -

"We condemn today's developments in #Myanmar. We urge military leaders to adhere to democratic norms and respect the outcome of the elections," Norway's Foreign Affairs Ministry tweeted.

- Canada -

Bob Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted that Myanmar's military "wrote the Constitution this way so they could do this."

"The Constitution of 2008 was specifically designed to ensure military power was deeply entrenched and protected," he said.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Trump-Musk showdown threatens US space plans
Japanese company aborts Moon mission after assumed crash-landing
Renowned Mars expert says Trump-Musk axis risks dooming mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
'No doubt' Canadian firm will be first to extract deep sea minerals: CEO
Tabletop particle blaster: How tiny nozzles and lasers could replace giant accelerators
Set it and forget it: Autonomous structures can be programmed to jump days in advance

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Iran FM warns Europe against 'strategic mistake' at IAEA; Iran obtained 'sensitive' Israeli intel
DOD is investigating Hegseth's staffers over Houthi-strikes chats
Three dead as Ukraine hit with third-straight day of overnight attacks

24/7 News Coverage
Ailing Baltic Sea in need of urgent attention
Money, mining and marine parks: The big issues at UN ocean summit
Solar power farms would impact less than 1 percent of Arkansas' ag land



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.