The coup in Myanmar: First responses

Top lines

Myanmar’s military has launched a coup and claims to have taken control of the Government, detaining civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the ruling party. This comes after a November election which would have given Suu Kyi another five years in office.

The coup undermines democracy, rule of law and political freedoms in an already fragile political system. Labour should call on the UK Government to work with international partners to demand that the results of the November election are honoured.

The events highlight the role of China, Myanmar’s largest trading partner, which stood by the previous military dictatorship and has not condemned this coup. The UK must work with democracies in Asia to offer a regional alternative to China’s influence.

The events also highlight the importance of tackling human rights abuses and genocide abroad. The UK should introduce targeted Magnitsky sanctions on the individuals involved, the businesses that finance and back the Myanmar military, and reform its trade policy to penalise states found to be committing genocide.

Myanmar’s return to a military-led government opens up the risk of further ethnic cleansing and crimes against the Rohinghya and other minorities. The international community must increase its efforts to protect minorities within Myanmar’s borders and bring those within the military guilty of these crimes against humanity to justice.

Image credit: UN and Myanmar flags outside the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Building, Nay Pyi Taw, 2014. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas via Flickr.