FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Burmese community members in Fort Wayne protested in downtown Fort Wayne on Wednesday, calling for the United States to expand sanctions on the Burmese after a military coup earlier this week.

On Monday, Myanmar’s military took control of the country under a one-year state of emergency after accusing leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s government of not investigating allegations of voter fraud in recent elections. As a result of the coup, Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint were detained.

The coup was roundly condemned internationally, and President Joe Biden threatened new sanctions on Myanmar, calling the coup a “direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and rule of law.”

In Fort Wayne, home to the largest Burmese community in the world outside Burma, tensions were high as residents gathered Wednesday to protest and call for action. Burmese gathered in front of the Allen County Courthouse with signs.

The Burmese community in Fort Wayne called for the following actions:

In light of the recent events in Burma (Myanmar), we, the Burmese community members in Fort
Wayne, Indiana call the international community to take tangible and immediate action against the
notorious Burmese military.
We strongly condemn the military coup in Burma and the arrests of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
political figures.
We strongly denounce the declaration of one year State of Emergency in Burma and formation of
the military government.
We strongly call on the Burmese generals to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all detained
political figures immediately and unconditionally, to honor the 2020 election results, and to respect
the will of the people who have expressed in the election held on November 8, 2020.
We call on the United States Government for continuous support to restore democracy and the rule
of law in Burma and to take measures for the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi and all detained political figures.
We call on the United States Government to review and expand the targeted sanctions on the
Burmese generals and their associates, to impose restrictions on the financial and material supports
to the newly created military government, and to bring all the responsible parties of the military
coup to justice.
We call on the United States Government to alliance with the EU, SAARC, ASEAN and other
like-minded governments to take effective measures against the Burmese generals and their
associates.
We call on the United Nations to reconvene UN Security Council meeting on Burma and put
effective pressure on the generals to restore democracy and rule of law in Burma.