Aung san sun kyi, other leaders datained as military declares one year emergecy in Myanmar

 The intervantion came after weeks of rising tensions between the military, which ruled the country for nearly five decades, and the civilian government over allegations of fraud in November's election.

Myanmar's military staged a coup on Monday, detaining de fecto leader Aung San Suu kyi and declaring it had taken control of the country for one year under a state of emergency.

The military last week signalled it could seize power to settle its claims of irregularities in the polls, which Ms, suu kyi's National League for Democracy party won easily.Ms. suu kyi and president win myint were detained in the capital Naypyidaw before dawn on Monday, NLD spokesperson Myo Nyunt told AFP, just hours before parliament was meant t resume for the first time since the eletions. 

"We heard they were taken by the military.. With the situation we see happening now, we have to assume that the military is staging a coup," he said.The military then declared, via its own television channel, a one-year state of emergency.

In Yangon, the former capital that remains Myanmar's commercial hub, troops seized the city hall, according to an AFP journalist.