Aung San Suu Kyi urges people's protest against military coup

Aung San Suu Kyi has called for public protests against a military coup in Myanmar, hours after she and other figures from the ruling party were detained by the army, The Guardian reports.

The leader, who was seized in a morning raid, said the military was trying re-impose dictatorship. “I urge people not to accept this, to respond and wholeheartedly to protest against the coup by the military,” a statement released in her name said.

Over the past week, there has been mounting concern that the military, which ran Myanmar – also known as Burma – for some 50 years until 2011, was preparing to retake power. The army has alleged widespread irregularities in November’s election, which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won in a landslide victory. It said last week that a coup could not be ruled out, prompting the United Nations and several foreign missions in the country to express alarm.

The military later backtracked, claiming comments by its commander-in-chief had been misunderstood. Over the weekend, however, armed police patrolled the housing where lawmakers were quarantining ahead of the opening of parliament this week.