The head of Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi called on fellow citizens on February 1 to oppose the coup.
“The actions of the military are actions that will return the country back to the dictatorship <...> I urge people not to accept it, to respond and wholeheartedly oppose the seizure of power by the military,” said a statement posted on a Facebook page.
Earlier in the day, Myanmar President Vin Myin, along with Aung San Suu Kyi and other dignitaries from the ruling party, were detained during a morning raid.
The move came after days of escalating tensions between the civilian government and the military, which claim the country’s November 8 elections were fraudulent, Reuters reports.
The Myanmar military declared a state of emergency in the country for a period of one year after detaining the leaders of the state.
The Russian Embassy in Myanmar urged Russian citizens to beware of crowded places and, if possible, not to leave their homes amid the state of emergency declared in the country, Gazeta.ru writes.
In turn, the White House expressed concern about reports of the detention of political leaders of Myanmar and senior officials. It is noted that US President Joe Biden is aware of this situation.
In addition, UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the detention of Myanmar President Vin Myin and Aung San Suu Kyi by the military.