Biden threatens Myanmar with sanctions following military coup

According to details, Biden threatened to re-impose sanctions on Myanmar and called for a solid international response.

US had recently eased sanctions after Myanmar began emerging from a decades-long dictatorship.

The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) have also condemned coup amid fears of probable unrest.

Moreover, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency meeting over the situation in Myanmar, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling it “a serious blow to democratic reforms” in the Southeast Asian nation.

On Monday, Myanmar leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders were arrested in the early hours of Monday after her government was toppled by the military.

The coup has come following tensions between the civilian government and the military following a controversial election in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won majority, but the army says the vote was fraudulent.

Also known as Burma, Myanmar was ruled by the military until democratic reforms began in 2011.

The power has been handed over to Commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Following the coup, mobile and internet services have been suspended in all major cities including the capital Yangon, while the state broadcaster MRTV says it is having technical issues and is off air.

Ms Kyi is the daughter of Myanmar's independence hero, General Aung San. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She has spent approximately 15 years in jail between 1989 and 2010.