There is devastating news from Burma. The military have launched a coup.
Dear John
There is devastating news from Burma. The military have launched a coup.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the President and other political leaders nationwide have been arrested, and we are hearing reports that human rights activists are also being arrested.
There had been growing tensions after the military political party, the USDP, suffered a huge defeat in last November’s election, and has been accusing the NLD-led government of voter fraud. There is no evidence to support this. The situation escalated rapidly over the last few days with the military refusing to rule out a coup.
It is unclear at this stage what the military hope to achieve by their actions as they have benefited significantly since they began the reform process ten years ago.
Whatever the motives, this situation now needs to be met with the strongest international response. The military need to be made to understand that they have made a major miscalculation in thinking they can get away with this.
Events are still unfolding and we will keep you updated as we learn more about the situation.
Thank you for your support.
Anna Roberts
Burma Campaign UK
