Myanmar's military has already replaced ministry officials as citizens feel the 'hard-fought battle for democracy' has been lost

• The Myanmar military has already replaced 11 ministers and deputies removed during Monday's coup.
• Citizen leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained, urged supporters to protest the coup.
• The military said they'd be taking control for at least a year due to unfounded accusations of election fraud.

The Myanmar military is already implementing governmental changes following Monday's coup, as fear and frustration grow across the country that once spent nearly 50 years under oppressive military regimes.

The military, which seized power from democratically elected officials including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint on Monday morning, has already announced replacements for 11 of the 24 ministers and deputies that have been removed, according to the BBC. Replacements have been named for foreign affairs, the interior, health, and finance.

Myanmar Vice President Myint Swe, a former general backed by the military, is now heading up the government following the detainment of several top politicians and members of the ruling National League for Democracy. The military announced they'd be taking over control for at least a year, citing mass voter fraud as justification for the coup.

The new parliament was slated to meet for the first time Monday morning and cement the November election results. The military took control before that could happen.

The National League for Democracy party won more than 80% of the vote in November, maintaining popularity despite allegations of ongoing suppression of the Rohingya Muslims in the country. Following the election, the military-backed opposition made accusations of fraud and maintained those accusations in a statement released by the newly instated acting president on Monday, according to the BBC.

There is little evidence to support the military's accusations of fraud. People in the city of Yangon reportedly said they felt that their "hard-fought battle for democracy had been lost."

"Waking up to learn your world has been completely turned upside down overnight was not a new feeling, but a feeling that I thought that we had moved on from, and one that I never thought we'd be forced to feel again," one resident told the BBC.

Myanmar citizens woke to a media blackout and reports that internet connectivity was down 75% Monday morning. Soldiers now patrol the streets in major cities and a nighttime curfew has been implemented. Banks have also reportedly said they'd been forced to close.

As Suu Kyi prepared for detention, she urged supporters to protest the coup and said the military's move would lead to another dictatorship, the outlet reported.

"I urge people not to accept this, to respond and wholeheartedly to protest against the coup by the military," a statement that carried her name but not her signature said. "Only the people are important."

It's not the first time Suu Kyi has faced prison. She was detained from 1989 to 2010 during her fight to bring democracy to military-ruled Myanmar. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and was lauded as a hero of democracy. The de-facto leader's international reputation, however, has suffered in past years due to a crackdown on the nation's Rohingya population, when she was accused of failing to condemn the military or acknowledge the atrocities.

But for many, Suu Kyi represented a hope that democratically elected officials could share power with the military in the country. Now, her disappearance may make that impossible.

"She is the only person who could stand up to the military," U Aung Kyaw, a 73-year-old retired teacher told The New York Times. "We would all have voted for her forever, but today is the saddest day of my life because she is gone again."

Following nearly fifty years of military control, a nominally civilian government was introduced in the country in 2011, and 2015 saw Myanmar's first national vote in decades. Though those elections were hailed as being the "freest" and "fairest" in years, the military-drafted constitution allowed the military to maintain some power by guaranteeing it 25% of all seats in parliament and control of powerful ministries.

Thant Myint-U, a Myanmar historian, tweeted that the coup opened doors to "a very different future."

"I have a sinking feeling that no one will really be able to control what comes next. And remember Myanmar's a country awash in weapons, with deep divisions across ethnic & religious lines, where millions can barely feed themselves," he said.