DILI (TOP ) – 1996 Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos Horta called on western countries and China to work together to resolve the Myanmar situation, and recommended full sanctions to the military.
Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1996, strongly condemned the behavior of the military regime in Myanmar against Suu Kyi, who won the Peace Prize in 1991.
The former president of Timor-Leste explained that over the years he has kept reminding the international community to understand the difficulties, Aung San Suu Kyi, the dire situation, was pressured by hardliners in the military and ethno-nationalist Buddhist monks.
Horta added, Aung San Suu Kyi must draw a very fine line to survive for five years, trying to consolidate her strength and democracy.
“She was totally ostracized, humiliated, by the Western liberal media, politicians, universities and others. And the military is watching with joy how the Nobel icon is being destroyed in the West. Now what? I recommend full sanctions, sanctions targeted at the military, ”Horta told The Oe-Kusi Post (TOP) in Dili, Tuesday, February 2, 2021.
He said President Biden, the European Union and China should try to explore complementary and shared approaches. And this is a unique opportunity for President Xi to build bridges with the new US Administration by not trying to exploit the situation for more short-term gains.
Meanwhile, the US President Joe Biden said the military launched a "direct attack on democracy".
“In a democracy, force should never seek to overrule the will of the people or attempt to erase the outcome of a credible election,” Biden's statement that TOP accessed in the Asia Pacific Media Hub.
Biden said, for almost a decade, the people of Burma have been steadily working to establish elections, civilian governance, and the peaceful transfer of power.
“That progress should be respected”.
He asked the international community should come together in one voice to press the Burmese military to immediately relinquish the power they have seized, release the activists and officials they have detained, lift all telecommunications restrictions, and refrain from violence against civilians.
“The United States is taking note of those who stand with the people of Burma in this difficult hour. We will work with our partners throughout the region and the world to support the restoration of democracy and the rule of law, as well as to hold accountable those responsible for overturning Burma’s democratic transition”.
The United States removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress toward democracy. The reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action.
“The United States will stand up for democracy wherever it is under attack”.
This statement was issued after the Myanmar military sacked 24 ministers and appointed 11 new ministers under the new government, following the takeover of power and the imposition of a state of emergency on Monday, February 1, 2021.
All power has been handed over to Myanmar's top military commander, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, according to a military TV statement.
The coup followed the absolute victory of Suu Kyi's party in the elections.
Last November, the so-called military rife with fraud.
Suu Kyi urged her supporters to "not accept this" and "protest against the coup".
In a letter written before she was arrested, Suu Kyi said the military's move again brought the country back to dictatorship.
Meanwhile the military, in its latest statement, said they would reform the Election Commission and examine the voter list.
As quoted from the official military website, they claim to hold elections and hand over power to the winning party.
Myanmar's military said the detention of a number of Myanmar political leaders was carried out in "response to election fraud".
Myanmar was ruled by the military until 2011, when Suu Kyi's democratic reforms ended army's rule.
Suu Kyi spent nearly 15 years in detention between 1989 and 2010. She is considered a pillar of democracy and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
However, his image collapsed because he was deemed to have done little in the issue of handling Rohingya Muslim refugees.
In elections in November last year, the NLD won enough seats in parliament to form a government, but the military considered the vote fraudulent.
The military has asked the government to postpone the parliamentary session, which will take place on Monday.
NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters news agency via telephone that Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders had been "brought in" in the early hours of Monday February 1, 2021.
"I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act according to the law," he said, adding that he was also expected to be detained.
Responding to the detention of Myanmar's political leaders, Australia demanded Myanmar soldiers immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders, warning that the military was "once again trying to seize control" of the country.
"We call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to immediately release all civilian leaders and others who have been detained illegally," Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.
