Acting President of Myanmar Myint Swe proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been transferred to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

[15][16] On 1 February 2021, Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi were arrested on charges that independent analysts regarded as part of an attempt to legitimize the military's seizure of power.

Between 2011 and 2015, a tentative democratic transition began, and elections held in 2015 resulted in a victory for Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Numerous communications channels stopped working – phone lines to the capital, Naypyidaw, were interrupted, state-run MRTV said it was unable to broadcast due to "technical issues",[47] and widespread Internet disruptions were reported beginning around 3 a.m.[48] The military disrupted cellular services throughout the country, mirroring "kill switch" tactics previously employed in combat zones in Chin and Rakhine states.

[52] Social media users began calling on MPs to convene a parliamentary session within a government guesthouse, since the group met the Constitution's quorum requirements.

[63][64][65][66] The Export and Import Law carries a potential prison term of 3 years and/or a fine, and was previously used in 2017 to prosecute journalists for flying a drone above the Assembly of the Union.

[73] News of China's involvement in building the firewall were widely circulated among Myanmar social media users, which prompts protestors to demonstrate outside the Chinese Embassy.

[74] On 10 February 2021, civil servants at Kayah State protested against the coup, which also included police officers stationed there when they refused orders from their superior to return to work.

[76] On 13 February 2021, a viral post online showed that the military-run Ministry of Information (MOI) pressured the press not to use the words "junta" and "regime" in the media in the military's first attempt to restrict the freedom-of-press.

[77] The military regime issued an arrest warrant for seven well-known activists and influencers including Min Ko Naing for "using their fame to spread writing and speaking on the social media that would disturb the nation's peace process".

[96] The activist group Justice for Myanmar has also noted the significant financial and business interests of Min Aung Hlaing and his family as a potential motivating factor for the coup.

[97] A few days before the coup, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had released US$372 million in cash loans to the Central Bank of Myanmar, as part of an emergency aid package, to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States and ASEAN (chaired by Brunei) criticised the junta's treatment of political prisoners, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen described Myanmar's decision to skip the summit as "regrettable".

[117] During Win Myint's court testimony on 12 October, he revealed that on 1 February before the coup, two senior military generals had attempted to force him to resign, under the guise of "ill health"..[124] The declaration of a state of emergency then transfers legislative, executive, and judicial authority to the Commander-in-Chief per Article 418.

[123] On 23 March 2021, during a news conference in Naypyidaw, the Tatmadaw defended the reimposition of the junta and claimed that ousted national leader Aung San Suu Kyi was corrupt, tantamount to graft.

The three-finger salute has been widely adopted as a protest symbol,[126] while netizens joined the Milk Tea Alliance, an online democratic solidarity movement in Asia.

[135] The labour strikes have spread to other parts of the civil service, including union-level ministries and universities, as well as to private firms, such as factories and copper mines, students, and youth groups.

[142] Among the targeted goods and services in the Burmese military's significant business portfolio include Mytel, a national telecoms carrier, Myanmar, Mandalay, and Dagon Beer, several coffee and tea brands, 7th Sense Creation, which was co-founded by Min Aung Hlaing's daughter,[143] and bus lines.

[163][164][165][166] People have used social media like Facebook and Twitter to reach their voices to international communities and also to share photo and video evidence of brutality of military forces on the protestors.

[171] As the military response to the ensuing protests started taking a violent turn, the Shwekyin Nikāya, Burma's second largest monastic order, urged Min Aung Hlaing to immediately cease the assaults on unarmed civilians and to refrain from engaging in theft and property destruction.

[172] Its leading monks, including Ñāṇissara Bhikkhu, who is known for his amicable relationship with the military, reminded the general to be a good Buddhist,[172] which entailed keeping to the Five Precepts required for at least a human rebirth.

[176] On 4 April, it issued a statement saying it would not withhold payments to the military junta and would not cease operations in its Yadana offshore gasfield where electricity is generated for public use.

[184] US President Joe Biden announced his administration will impose sanctions on the military leaders of the coup in Myanmar and freeze 1 billion dollars in government assets held in the United States on 11 February 2021.

[197] Myanmar officials have reached out to India to repatriate the defecting police officers located in Mizoram, with the reply that the Indian government will make a final decision.

[202][203][204] Many countries, including Bangladesh,[206] China,[207] India,[208] Indonesia,[209] Japan,[210] Malaysia,[211] Pakistan,[212] the Philippines,[213] South Korea,[214] and Singapore,[215] encouraged dialogue between the government and the military in order to resolve the issue, many of which expressed concern in response to the coup.

"[235] President Biden also stated that he would freeze $1 billion US assets belonged to the Myanmar's government while maintaining support for health care, civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly.

[248] On 27 March 2021, eight countries ‑ India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Russia ‑ sent representatives to attend the Myanmar Armed Forces Day parade.

The statement condemned the violence, called for its end, and restraint by the military, and the prompt release of the detained civilian government officials (including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint), and a negotiated settlement between the parties within the framework of the Myanmar Constitution.

Members of the National Unity Government formed in response to the coup and consisting of ousted lawmakers were reported to have been in contact with ASEAN leaders, but were not formally invited to the meeting.

[267] On 28 May 2021, the governments of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam proposed that a U.N. draft resolution on Myanmar be watered down, including removing a call for an arms embargo against the country.