Myanmar’s military has seized power after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other democratically elected leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD).
The military takeover follows weeks of tensions between the armed forces and the government following parliamentary elections lost by the army-backed opposition. The army says the election was marred by fraud.
Troops are patrolling streets in major cities and communications are limited. Army TV announced that the top army commander is now in charge and a one-year state of emergency has been declared.
In a letter written in preparation for her impending detention, Ms Suu Kyi urged her supporters to “not accept this” and “protest against the coup” saying the military’s actions put the country back under dictatorship.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the armed forces until 2011 when democratic reforms spearheaded by Aung San Suu Kyi ended military rule.
She spent nearly 15 years in detention between 1989 and 2010. She was internationally hailed as a beacon of democracy and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
More: BBC News Asia