Suu Kyi’s Party Demands Her Release as Myanmar Generals Tighten Grip on Power

By Staff, Agencies

The party of Myanmar’s detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on Tuesday for her immediate release from detention and for the junta to recognize her victory in November elections, a day after a military coup sparked global outrage.

The United States threatened to reimpose sanctions on Myanmar’s generals after they seized power and arrested Suu Kyi and dozens of her allies on dawn raids on Monday.

Suu Kyi's whereabouts remained unknown more than 24 hours after her arrest and her only communication has come in the form of a statement written in anticipation of the coup calling for protests against military dictatorship.

The UN Security Council was due to meet later on Tuesday, diplomats said, amid calls for a strong global response to the military’s latest seizure of power in a country blighted for decades by army rule.

The coup followed a landslide win for Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy [NLD] in November 8 elections, a result the military has refused to accept citing unsubstantiated allegations of fraud.

The army handed power to General Min Aung Hlaing and imposed a state of emergency for a year, crushing hopes the poverty-stricken country also known as Burma was on the path to stable democracy.

The NLD’s executive committee demanded the release of all detainees “as soon as possible.”

In a post on the Facebook page of senior party official May Win Myint, the committee also called for the military to acknowledge the election results and for the new parliament - which was due to meet for the first time on Monday - to be allowed to sit.