The Myanmar military announced that it had controlled the country for one year, after the arrest of a number of prominent politicians.

A state of emergency was declared, according to Army-owned TV, and power was handed over to the Commander in Chief, Min Aung Hlaing.

Her party reported that Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was among those arrested by the military in an early morning raid on Monday.

The ruling National League for Democracy said Ms Suu Kyi is calling on the public not to accept the apparent coup and protest.

“The actions of the army are actions to return the country to a dictatorial regime,” the National League for Democracy said in a statement bearing Ms. Suu Kyi’s name.

I urge people not to accept this, and to respond wholeheartedly to protest the military coup.

Earlier, party spokesman Myo Nyunt told the Reuters news agency Mrs. Suu Kyi, President Wayne Myint, and other leaders “took” in the early hours of Monday morning.

“I want to tell our people not to respond recklessly and I want them to act in accordance with the law,” he said, adding that he also expects he will be arrested.

Tensions between the civilian government and the powerful army have escalated since last November’s elections.

Ms. Suu Kyi’s party won 396 of the 476 seats, but the military claimed that the election results were rigged – allegations rejected by the Myanmar Election Commission.

Last week, the military refused to rule out a coup to topple the NLD’s election victory, prompting other countries to warn of “any attempt to change the election results or impede the democratic transition in Myanmar.”

Mark Farmaner, UK Burma Campaign Manager, told Sky News that the Myanmar They were talking about seeing soldiers on the streets but communication was difficult due to disrupted internet and phone networks.

The state television station stopped broadcasting, blaming it on technical problems.

Farmaner said that while Myanmar was governed by Ms. Suu Kyi’s Civil Administration in recent years, the military retained control of the most important ministries and security forces.

About the apparent coup, he said: “It is not logical for the army to do so, because they have benefited greatly from the reforms that were carried out in the past ten years.”

“We have to see if there is some kind of division within the army or what are their motives.

“They should know that as a result of the coup, sanctions will be reimposed while they face the risk of uprisings inside the country. It is impossible to see how this will end well for anyone in the country, including the army,” he added.

For decades, Myanmar was ruled by one of the most brutal military regimes in the world, and Mr. Farmaner said many people within the country were now “incredibly afraid” of the return of those days.

“The people of Burma are the ones who have suffered the most during this period and people are now incredibly scared because they remember the days when there was direct military rule – when there were thousands of political prisoners, when you couldn’t talk about what’s on your mind without getting caught. They are facing those days again. “

John Sifton, Asia’s Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch, said the Myanmar military has never been subject to civilian rule and called on other countries to impose “strict and targeted economic sanctions” on the military leadership and its economic interests.

White House spokeswoman Jane Psaki said: “The United States opposes any attempt to change the results of the recent elections or impede the democratic transition in Myanmar, and will take action against officials if these steps are not reversed.”

The Australian government said it was “extremely concerned” and called for the immediate release of the unlawfully detained leaders.

Japan has said it is monitoring the situation closely but has no plans to repatriate Japanese citizens from Myanmar.