The first quarter of 2021 saw Myanmar's return to military rule with the Tatmadaw's staging of a coup which seized power from the civilian government on 1 February 2021.

The Tatmadaw refused to recognize the legitimacy of the 2020 Myanmar General Elections and insisted on their election fraud allegations.

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), along with 53 other organizations, condemned the military coup and called for the immediate release of all detained politicians, government officials, and activists. The organizations also said the Tatmadaw must restore power to the civilian government and respect due process in seeking redress of election-related complaints.

The people of Myanmar have been protesting the coup which the Tatmadaw responded with a series of arrests and killings. As of 31 March 2021, advocacy and monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said 536 people have been confirmed killed while 2,729 people have been detained since 1 February 2021.

ANFREL continues to monitor the situation and provide weekly updates through the Myanmar Situation Update, put out solidarity messages through the online campaign Project Amplify! and hold public discussions like the webinar on #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar Since the Coup.

Other updates in the first quarter of 2021 include:

• March 8 is International Women's Day. ANFREL shed light on the still relatively low representation and participation of women in politics and governance. [ Read More ]

• ANFREL and local youth-led election observer group We Watch shared policy recommendations for the Election Commission of Thailand on Thai local elections. [ Read More ]

• ANFREL and APHR submitted a joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review for Thailand. UPR is process a that reviews the humans rights situation in the member states of UN. [ Read More ]

To know more about ANFREL news and updates, visit ANFREL Newsletter e-Bulletin (January-March 2021).