This photo shows police vehicles parked on Sule Pagoda Road in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 1, 2021. (PHOTO / @BENJAMINSMALL VIA AP)
YANGON – U Win Htein, patron of Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD), was arrested late Thursday, an official from the Myanmar Police Force told Xinhua on Friday.
The 80-year-old patron is believed to be a trusted confidant of the National League for Democracy chair and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi
The 80-year-old patron, who is believed to be a trusted confidant of the party's chair, Aung San Suu Kyi, was taken to a district police station in Nay Pyi Taw, soon after his arrival in Yangon from Nay Pyi Taw on Thursday, Kyi Toe, a member of the party's information committee, wrote on his social media account earlier.
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Meanwhile, President U Win Myint and Suu Kyi, who is also state counsellor, are remanded in custody for violating the National Disaster Management Law and Import-Export Law until Feb 15, according to a senior military official.
The two were detained by the military, along with other NLD officials early Monday.
The NLD recently posted a statement on its social media page demanding the military release the detained leaders, acknowledge the results of 2020 general election and stop any disturbances which are hindering the process of convening the third parliamentary session.
The United Nations Security Council called for the release of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others detained by the military and stressed the need to uphold democracy.
The 15-member UN Security Council said in a statement agreed by consensus on Thursday that they “stressed the need to uphold democratic institutions and processes, refrain from violence, and fully respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.”
The Biden administration is considering an executive order in response to the military takeover in Myanmar and potentially targeted sanctions on individuals and military-controlled entities, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday.
China’s UN mission said Beijing hoped the key messages in the statement “could be heeded by all sides and lead to a positive outcome” in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia said on Friday they were seeking a special meeting of foreign ministers of Southeast Asian nations to discuss the situation in Myanmar.
In a statement issued earlier this week, ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, said it had been watching developments in the country closely.
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Myanmar declared a one-year state of emergency on Monday and the state power was handed over to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services.
With Reuters inputs