As news of the takeover emerged on social media, life remained largely normal in the commercial hub Yangon, the nation’s former capital. Alongside the shimmering waters of Yangon’s Kandawgyi Lake, cars were driving past and residents were jogging as the sun rose, while taxi drivers could be heard chatting about the political storm unfolding in Naypyidaw.
Around the same time, Naypyidaw was plunged into a mobile network blackout, followed by the rest of the country. Telenor, one of Myanmar’s four telcom operators, confirmed that the mobile network was down. Its spokesperson said Telenor Group was “greatly concerned” with the situation.
