Myanmar military coup condemned around the world

Governments around the world are calling for the restoration of Myanmar's power-sharing government after the military staged a coup, arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians.

UN rights boss 'alarmed'

The United Nations’ top human rights official has said she was “gravely concerned” by the situation in Myanmar.

Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said she was alarmed by reports that 45 people have been detained and urged their immediate release.

Bachelet said in a statement from Geneva that there are “deep fears of a violent crackdown on dissenting voices” and pressed for the military to “refrain from using unnecessary or excessive force.”

“I urge the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar at this time, and for all states with influence to take steps to prevent the crumbling of the fragile democratic and human rights gains made by Myanmar during its transition from military rule,” Bachelet said.

ASEAN

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "grave concern about the latest situation in Myanmar," adding hopes that all parties would "exercise restraint."

Indonesia's foreign minister likewise expressed "concern" while also urging "self-restraint."

But Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the situation is an "internal matter."

"Our primary concern is the safety of our people, he said.

"Our armed forces are on standby in case we need to airlift them as well as navy ships to repatriate them if necessary."

Bangladesh 

"Bangladesh firmly adheres to and promotes democratic ethos. We hope that the democratic process and constitutional arrangements will be upheld in Myanmar. As an immediate and friendly neighbour, we would like to see peace and stability in Myanmar," Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Scandinavia

Norway, Sweden and Denmark condemned the military's seizure of power.

"We urge military leaders to adhere to democratic norms and respect the outcome of the elections," Norway's Foreign Affairs Ministry tweeted.

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said civilian leaders and others "unlawfully detained must be released immediately and unconditionally."

Denmark's Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said "military under civilian control is a key democratic principle."

France

The French government called on Myanmar's military leaders to respect the result of last November's election.

"Elections were held last November and Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi was elected, and in these conditions we urge that the ballot be respected, that the vote of Myanmar's people be respected," government spokesperson Gabriel Attal told France Info radio.

Paris is closely following events in Myanmar and discussing its response with partners "in particular within the United Nations," Attal said.

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the coup imprisonment of Suu Kyi.

European Union

EU chief Charles Michel strongly condemned the coup and demanded the release of all those wrongly detained in the crackdown.

In another tweet, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted that the "Myanmar people want democracy."

"The EU stands with them," he said.

Japan

Japan called on Myanmar's military to release Suu Kyi and restore democracy in the country.

"We request the release of stakeholders including state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi who was detained today," Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement urging "the national army to quickly restore the democratic political system in Myanmar."

Meanwhile, hundreds of Burmese protesters holding portraits of Suu Kyi gathered in Tokyo to protest against her detention.

The demonstrators, wearing face masks and carrying flags, stood outside the United Nations University in downtown Tokyo and called on the international body to further condemn the Myanmar military's actions.

China

Beijing called for all parties in Myanmar to "resolve their differences."

"China is a friendly neighbour of Myanmar and hopes the various parties in Myanmar will appropriately resolve their differences under the constitutional and legal framework to protect political and social stability," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing.

Turkey

In a written statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the country was "deeply concerned" by the power grab as "Turkey opposes any kind of military intervention."

Urging the immediate release of all elected leaders and civilians who have reportedly been detained in the putsch, it called for the new parliament, formed by the people's free will, to convene "as soon as possible" and quickly remove the obstacles placed in front of elected leaders and democratic institutions.

The ministry also expressed hope that these developments would not worsen the situation of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims.

United States

The United States "will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.

She added that the US opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of the November elections, which handed Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) an overwhelming landslide, but sparked allegations of vote irregularities by the routed military-backed party.

Newly appointed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called on Myanmar's military "to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on November 8."

Before the coup, Washington, alongside several other Western nations, had urged the military to "adhere to democractic norms" in a January 29 statement that came as the commander-in-chief threatened to revoke the country's constitution.

Australia

"We call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others who have been detained unlawfully," Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

India 

"We have noted the developments in Myanmar with deep concern. India has always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar. We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

United Nations

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "strongly" condemned the military's detention of Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders.

"These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms in Myanmar," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Canada

Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted that Myanmar’s military "wrote the Constitution this way so they could do this."

"The Constitution of 2008 was specifically designed to ensure military power was deeply entrenched and protected," he said.

Thailand

Police in Thailand's capital clashed with a group of demonstrators who came out to stage a protest against the coup in Myanmar.

At least two people were injured at the protest, which took place outside Myanmar's embassy in the Thai capital, where at least 200 people had gathered, including Thai and Myanmar citizens.

The police arrested at least two people according to the Thai legal monitoring group iLaw.

READ MORE: Myanmar military seize power via bloodless coup