Suu Kyi's party asks army to release detained leaders

JAKARTA, Indonesia The executive committee of Myanmar's ruling party on Tuesday called for the immediate release of top government officials and civil society members arrested after the military seized power in the country. "Release all detainees including President [Win Myint] and State Counsellor [Aung San Suu Kyi],” said May Win Myint, an official from the executive committee of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, on Facebook. The NLD official called the arrest and coup against the Suu Kyi government "a dark spot" on the country's history and the Myanmar Army, locally known as the Tatmadaw. Meanwhile, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, urged stakeholders to initiate dialogue and find a solution for ongoing developments in Myanmar. "We encourage the pursuance of dialogue, reconciliation, and the return to normalcy in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar," it said in a press release on Monday. The regional bloc recalled the purposes and principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, including adherence to the principles of democracy, the rule of law, good governance, and respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. "We reiterate that the political stability in the ASEAN member states is essential to achieving a peaceful, stable, and prosperous ASEAN Community," it stated. On Monday, Myanmar's military declared a state of emergency hours after detaining Myint, Suu Kyi and other senior members of the ruling party. The coup took place hours before the first session of the country's new parliament was set to convene following the November elections in which the NLD made sweeping gains. The military claimed that the coup was staged due to "election fraud," which it said resulted in the dominance of the NLD in parliament. The UN, EU, US, UK and several other countries have also condemned the coup, calling for a reversal of the military's actions. *Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services in Jakarta