Myanmar military on Monday declared a state of emergency in the country for one year, hours after detaining civilian leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint.
The state-run Radio and Television (MRTV) announced on its social media page that it was no longer working on Monday morning, Xinhua reported.
Telecommunications in the capital city of Naypyitaw and some other regions and states are also being cut off.
In the early morning raids, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other senior officials have been detained by the military.
Myo Nyunt, spokesperson of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) told Xinhua: "I received internal reports about our state counsellor and the president being taken by the military. As far as I was informed, Shan State's Planning and Finance Minister U Soe Nyunt Lwin, Kayah state's NLD chairman Thaung Htay and some NLD representatives of the Ayeyarwady region's parliament have been detained."
"Two members of Central Executive Committee of the party were taken and I am also waiting to be detained as I was informed by our members that my turn will come shortly," he said.
This comes in wake of the tensions between the government and the military stoking fears of a coup. The country was under military rule till 2011. Suu Kyi spent many years under house arrest, according to media reports.
The newly-elected lower house of the parliament was due to convene on Monday however the military called for a postponement. Media reports also suggest that telephone and internet lines in Naypyitaw, the country's capital, have been suspended.
According to Sputnik, In January, Myanmar's military raised the prospect of a coup d'etat after what they believed was widespread voter fraud during the November 8 election, which was the country's second general election since the end of military rule in 2011.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU