Myanmar's military-run television network said Monday that the military had taken control of the country for one year, amid reports that many of the country's senior politicians, including Aung San Suu Kyi, had been detained. The takeover was quickly condemned as a coup by European leaders, while the newly sworn-in administration of President Joe Biden in Washington expressed "grave concern."
CBS News Asia correspondent Ramy Inocencio managed to get in touch with a friend in the country's biggest city of Yangon despite most lines of communication being cut by the military. The friend told Inocencio that people were panic buying food and rushing to ATMs to try to get their money out as the military rulers halted all flights in the country and closed banks.
A presenter on Myanmar's military-owned Myawaddy TV announced the takeover and cited a section of the military-drafted constitution that allows the military to take control in times of national emergency. He said the takeover was in part due to the government's failure to act on the military's claims of voter fraud in last November's election and its failure to postpone the election because of the coronavirus crisis.