On February 1, the arrest of Burmese President Win Myint as well as the head of government Aung San Suu Kyi and several senior representatives of the ruling party took place. This arrest occurred during an operation ordered by the general staff of the Burmese army.<\/p>\n
The Burmese army is now at the head of the country for a period of one year. Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing has appointed General Myint Swe as acting president.<\/p>\n
Myanmar's chaotic political history may explain the circumstances of such a Coup. In 1947 Burma signed its independence. The military established a dictatorship for nearly fifty years, from 1962 to 2011. The end of this military dictatorship was marked by a move towards democracy, with the creation of the Burmese Constitution at the initiative of the Tatmadaw (the army). in 2008. The democratic transition will be effective in 2011.<\/p>\n
On the surface, the emergence of democracy in Myanmar sounds like a renewal, a total change in the political system. However, when we look more closely at the constitution, we notice that the army has the 3 sovereign Ministries of Defense, Interior, Border Affairs and 25 % seats in Parliament. This constitution is a way for the army to maintain almost total control over the country, under the cover of a \u201cdemocratic transition\u201d.<\/p>\n
Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of General Aung San, who negotiated Myanmar's independence. A true icon in her country, she embodies the hope of democracy by creating the National League for Democracy party. She became de facto head of government in 2011 during the democratic transition. Its ultimate goal is to liberate the country from the authority of the army.<\/p>\n
In 2020, members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party attempted to table amendments to modify the constitution established by the Tatmadaw (the army). An attempt which will greatly displease the military forces and which will be rejected en bloc.<\/p>\n
The last elections in November would be the trigger for this takeover. The political party of the army (PSDU) observed a dismal failure in the elections, which provoked the indignation of the party which has long cried of electoral fraud.<\/p>\n
The coup echoes what happened in 1990 following another election organized by the ruling army. 80% channels were in favor of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Following this result, the elections were simply canceled, and Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest for almost 8 years.<\/p>\n
The military has already demonstrated its authority by using violence against citizens. Bloody clashes were carried out against those who tried to rise up in the face of oppression.<\/p>\n
Numerous protest movements are breaking out across the country, using social networks to make themselves heard. Pro-democracy demonstrations are also organized even in the most remote areas. Residents are going to withdraw their money from banks run by the junta, cyclists are blocking the roads by repairing their bikes in the middle of the road, hacking of Government sites...<\/p>\n
This popular discontent is unprecedented. Despite severe repression by the junta which caused 38 deaths on March 4, tens of thousands of citizens are determined to make their protest against this brutal takeover heard.<\/p>\n
The Coup d'Etat caused widespread indignation around the world. However, several specialists are skeptical of the help that major world powers such as the UN, Europe or the United States can provide.<\/p>\n
Indeed, China's implicit support for the military repression in Myanmar will put a veto on the actions that the American administration may attempt to take, particularly on possible sanctions.<\/p>\n
In addition, the junta knows full well that the health crisis has caused the closure of the country's borders. Their maneuvering path is therefore much freer than normal.<\/p>\n
After automatically extending the validity of visas issued between January 2 and March 21, 2020, but not used due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Myanmar reopened its borders on April 17 in order to once again welcome its (fully vaccinated) travelers.<\/p>\n
Due to a complicated health context, and last year's coup d'\u00e9tat, the country is emerging from a severe economic and tourism crisis.<\/p>\n
This destination still remains a country at risk, the best way to keep informed of the situation in Myanmar is to consult the official website of the Burmese authorities.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On 1 February, Burmese President Win Myint was arrested, along with the head of government Aung San Suu Kyi and several senior representatives of the Burmese political party...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2558,"featured_media":1255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n