UN General Assembly head 'concerned' over Myanmar coup

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir expressed worry on Monday amid the military power grab in Myanmar that saw senior political figures detained.

"I am deeply concerned about developments in Myanmar. I call for immediate release of detained political leaders," Bozkir said on Twitter.

Stressing that attempts to undermine democracy and the rule of law were unacceptable, he continued: "Military leaders must adhere to democratic norms and respect public institutions &civilian authority."

Myanmar's military announced early Monday that it had seized power and would rule the country for at least a year while declaring state of emergency. Top political figures, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other senior members of the ruling National League for Democracy were detained.

While the army claimed it took action as a result of "voter fraud" in elections on Nov. 8 last year, critics argue that the military used the allegations as a pretext to justify the coup.