On the morning of February 1, 2021, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, seized control of Myanmar, arresting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other NLD leaders, hours before they were scheduled to take their seats in the newly elected parliament.

The representatives elected in the November 2020 elections in Myanmar, which saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory, did not recognize the legitimacy of the February 1, 2021 military coup. The coup effectively invalidated the election results and overturned the democratic mandate given by the people. However, many of the NLD’s elected lawmakers continued to assert their legitimacy and vowed to oppose the military junta.

On February 6, 2021, large-scale anti-coup protests erupted in cities across Myanmar, including Yangon, Naypyidaw, and Mandalay.Protesters chanted slogans such as “We want democracy” and “Release our leaders.” The military responded with threats of violence, warning that they would take action against protesters, but this only spurred more people to join the movement.

On February 26, 2021, at the United Nations General Assembly held in New York City, Myanmar representative U Kyaw Moe Tun unexpectedly attended representing the CRPH and spoke against the current power holder of Myanmar at the United Nations. It has become an unheard of event since ancient times. In his presentation, he also said to oppose the Burmese army and demanded to provide the security of the people of Burma in all possible ways.

Kyal Sin also known as Angel or by her Chinese name, Deng Jiaxi was a 19-year-old girl from Mandalay who was shot and killed by the military on 3 March 2021 during the 2021 Burmese protests. Kyal Sin emerged as an early martyr and symbol of resistance against the military junta’s use of violence to suppress the protest movement.