G7 CONDEMNS MYANMAR MILITARY COUP

Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized countries on Wednesday condemned the military coup in Myanmar and called for the release of all people "unjustly detained" including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to Kyodo News.

"We are deeply concerned by the detention of political leaders and civil society activists, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint," the ministers said in a joint statement issued following the Myanmar military's seizure of power Monday.

The G7, which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States as well as the European Union, called on the military to immediately end the state of emergency and restore power to the democratically elected government.

Referring to a landslide victory by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy in November elections, the statement said the outcome "must be respected" and that parliament "should be convened at the earliest opportunity."

"We stand with the people of Myanmar who want to see a democratic future," it said.

The statement came as the Myanmar military, according to NLD lawmakers, freed about 400 people, including lawmakers of the formerly ruling party, and ordered them to go home.

However, senior NLD members, including Suu Kyi, are believed to remain under house arrest following Monday's coup.

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