Joe Biden calls for Myanmar’s military to relinquish power immediately
- The US president orders a review to consider reimposing sanctions that had been lifted as the nation transitioned to democracy
- Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi
US President Joe Biden insisted Monday that Myanmar’s military relinquish the power it had seized during a coup, and warned he could take “appropriate action” if it didn’t, including reimposing sanctions that had been rolled back since the nation first transitioned to democracy in 2011.
Earlier on Monday the country’s military declared a year-long state of emergency, alleging irregularities with the November election that gave the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party a commanding share of parliamentary seats. It handed power to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and reportedly moved to detain Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders.
“The United States removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress toward democracy,” Biden said in a statement, using Myanmar’s former name. “The reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action.
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“We will work with our partners throughout the region and the world to support the restoration of democracy and the rule of law, as well as to hold accountable those responsible for overturning Burma’s democratic transition,” Biden said.
NLD secured 346 seats – more than the 322 seats it needed to form the government – in the November 8 polls. Biden’s warning builds on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s denunciation of the move by Myanmar’s military – known locally as the Tatmadaw – just hours after it moved to take power. Blinken called on the military “to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections”.
Myanmar was under military rule from 1962 to 2011, and Yangon was the scene of protests in the 1980s and 2000s that ultimately led to the military agreeing to a transition to democracy. In 2015, Suu Kyi won Myanmar’s first election and became the de facto head of government but the military still had a role to play, retaining control of three ministries.
US lawmakers in both parties also spoke out against the coup.