Myanmar's former general Myint Swe has been appointed acting president by the country's military after it staged a coup and declared that it has taken control of the country for one year under a state of emergency.

The international community has criticized Monday's coup in Myanmar, urging the army to release all political leaders. Germany said the military's actions "jeopardize progress made so far towards democratic change."

The UN Security Council voices "deep concern" over the military coup in Myanmar, and calls in a draft statement for the "release of all detainees" including Aung San Suu Kyi. "The members of the Security Council emphasized the need for the continued support of the democratic transition in Myanmar," Britain's ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, tells reporters.

The Myanmar military junta has so far refrained from using deadly force to quell nationwide demonstrations, but with pressure building riot police fired water cannon on Monday in an attempt to disperse thousands on the streets of the capital Naypyidaw.

Myanmar's army chief insists that a military coup to oust the country's civilian leaders is justified by 'voter fraud', but pledges to hand back power after elections.

The US and UN's concern followed a raid by the military on the Yangon headquarters of outsted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party late on Tuesday.

US President Joe Biden has said the US will prevent access to $1 billion in assets unless Myanmar's junta "relinquishes" power and releases democratically elected leaders.

Foreign diplomats in Myanmar told the military junta that "the world is watching" as armored vehicles were, again, deployed to the streets. Hundreds of thousands of people joined a ninth day of anti-coup protests.

For the third time in two weeks, Myanmar's junta has shut off the internet to restrict the flow of information for protesters. A new cybersecurity law would permit officials to arrest the military's online critics.

Security forces have opened fire on protesters in Mandalay, as anti-coup rallies honored a young woman who was killed by police at an earlier demonstration. UN Secretary-General Guterres spoke out.

Dozens of Karen, one of Myanmar's largest ethnic groups, march to protest against the coup in southern Myanmar's Khamaung Thwe village. The military authorities are cracking down with increasing severity on daily protests against their February 1 coup, with at least 70 people killed according to the UN's top rights expert on the country.

Alarmed at the strength of the opposition to the coup, the Myanmar junta is trying to instill fear with increasing violence, says Khin Zaw Win, the director of the Tampadipa Institute, a Yangon-based think-tank, "I don't see any way where we can get to a peaceful, non-violent resolution."