Myanmar Military Releases Detained Members Of Parliament And Ministers

Blokade militia depan Mandalay Region Government Office Myanmar. (Wikimedia Commons / Kantabon)

JAKARTA - Members of the Myanmar Parliament who were elected in the 2020 elections and briefly detained at the Naypyitaw Government House, were released and allowed to return home by the Myanmar military.

Originally, when the coup took place on February 1, the Parliament from the November 8 2020 election would convene for the first time. Elected MPs from arriving in the Myanmar capital in the past two weeks from various regions.

Member of Parliament Sai Thiha Kyaw said members of Parliament were allowed by the military to return. However, according to him, these politicians have not returned and are still discussing with the party.

"We will also consult with our party leaders about what to do next", he told The Irrawaddy.

Meanwhile, a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Central Information Committee U Kyi Toe said NLD lawmakers had been told to await the decision of their party leader. The plan is that they will be in Naypyitaw until February 6.

Apart from members of Parliament, the Myanmar military also released state ministers and regional heads from military detention. After that, they were asked to leave the official residence and would be placed under house arrest.

"The minister and deputy government minister who was dismissed by the military, have been ordered to move out of the official residence within three days. The barrier at the entrance to the ministry's residence has been lifted", U Kyo Toe said on Facebook.

Separately, member of Parliament Sai Thiha Kyaw said he was shocked and did not expect the military to take over power, as happened last Monday.

"We want a stable country, which is free from conflict. Ethnic countries like Shan State have suffered enough from the previous military regime and armed conflict", said Thiha Kyaw.