Biden threatens sanctions against coup plotters in Myanmar
Expressing regret at the setback in the democratic process in Myanmar, the US President threatened Myanmar's coup plotters with decisive punitive measures. He called on the international community to rise up to free citizens and officials detained by the military.
In response to the military coup in Myanmar, Joe Biden called for an immediate review of US sanctions laws and appropriate action against the coup plotters. He said the United States will stand up for democracy wherever it is attacked.
The US President issued a statement calling for a decisive response from the international community to the Myanmar coup and to pressure the military to leave power, release detained civil activists and political officials, lift communication restrictions, and stop bullying ordinary people.
Biden said: "We stand with all our allies and partners in the region and around the world in support of democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar."
He has also threatened to hold accountable those responsible for the political turmoil and military coup in Myanmar. Biden condemned the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, calling the military's action "a direct attack on the rule of law and democracy."
"In a democracy, no one has the right to distort the results of a valid election by resorting to force," Biden's statement issued by the White House on Monday afternoon said.
White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki, when asked whether Biden's address included China, said that these words were addressed to all countries in the region. Psaki had initially said that if the leaders of the Myanmar government were not released as soon as possible, the necessary decisions would be taken against the perpetrators of the coup.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar's government and political officials.
The Myanmar military has declared a state of emergency since Monday morning, arresting Ms. Suu Kyi and the country's president. All communication networks with Myanmar, including the internet, mobile phones and telephones, are now down, and even television programs have been cut off. The National League for Democracy (NLD) party, on behalf of Ms. Suu Kyi, has called on the people to resist the military.
The military has rejected the results of the November election, which saw a victory for the National League for Democracy party, calling it fraudulent. The coup leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, is the commander of the Myanmar army.
Myanmar, a country of 50 million people in Southeast Asia, has been ruled by a military dictatorship and coups for nearly five decades since it declared independence from Britain in 1948.
Source: DW
