Letters | As Myanmar junta repeats history, can the West do the same?

It is shocking to see that Myanmar, after nearly two decades of democratic transition, is once again under the control of a military junta, after a sudden coup on February 1 that deposed popular leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party had won the November elections by a landslide.

The coup was well-timed. Myanmar is struggling with a late surge in coronavirus cases and deaths, while the Western world is distracted by their own long-running pandemic battles. For Myanmar’s powerful military, it was the perfect opportunity.

The junta went after Suu Kyi because she was seen as a potential threat to their military power. Although despised by many in the West after she denied allegations of genocide in the bloody military crackdown on the Rohingya, she remains popular with the people of Myanmar. After Suu Kyi was deposed and put under house arrest, the military junta has faced public protests and opposition across the country, and has tried to suppress these with an iron hand.

How the world reacts to what is happening in Myanmar is crucial. The United Nations has issued statements expressing concern for the situation and fears of widespread violence, with calls for power to return to the people, whereas various countries have condemned the military for its actions.