| Translate This News In |
|---|
On Tuesday, a senior State Department official said that the US is in touch with like-minded allies such as India and Japan on the latest developments in the Southeast Asian nation as they have better contact with the military there, calling the military detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar a coup. On Monday, Myanmar’s military staged a coup and arrested top political figures, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader.
The military was also announced to have taken control of the country for a year.
We have certainly had frequent contact in the region with our like-minded allies and partners. Japan and India were mentioned by you. We have ongoing conversations with them on a daily basis, and we certainly appreciate that some other countries have better contact with the Burmese military than we do,” a senior State Department official told reporters during a conference call. “We are continuing these conversations.
On Tuesday, the United States said that Burma’s military action was a coup.
The US has denounced Myanmar’s military leaders as strongly as possible for seeking to reject the will of the people of the country as expressed in the 8 November democratic elections and for taking control of the government.
In 2015, Myanmar’s return to civilian rule allowed it to re-engage with nations and businesses around the world and move beyond relying on others in the region who do not respect human rights and democratic institutions.
The Biden administration, the official said, rejects any attempt by the military to modify the outcome of the election in Burma in November 2020.
And, as President Biden has said, we will take action against those responsible, including through a careful review of our current position on sanctions as they relate to Burma’s military leaders and their affiliated companies. Most importantly, we will continue to stand with the Burmese people,’ said the official.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden threatened to slap new sanctions on the nation, calling the military’s seizure of power in Myanmar a “direct assault” on its transition to democracy.
