First Anniversary of Military Coup in Myanmar

FEB 1 2022·Updated FEB 2 2022

Story

Image credit: AP via NPR

The Facts

Tuesday marked one year since the military unseated the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won a second term after a landslide victory in Nov. 2020.
NPR
The ruling junta justified the coup by claiming widespread election fraud, a claim that's been roundly dimissed by independent election observors.
NPR
Opponents of the military regime marked the occasion with a massive work stoppage known as a "silent strike," which emptied the streets of the country's cities between 10am and 4pm.
NPR
Foreign observors, including Biden, called on the military to reverse course and free Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders from captivity.
NPR

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Aung San Suu Kyi stands accused of election interference and fraud, among other charges. The junta has restaffed the country's election commissions and renewed promises to hold new elections that will eliminate widespread fraud and restore trust in the democratic process.

Al Jazeera

Narrative B

The military coup removed a fairly elected government on the thinnest of pretenses. Meanwhile, Myanmar's trading partners, including China and India, are turning a blind eye to mass incarceration and violence against legitimate democratic protesters in order to safeguard supplies of oil and gas.