SUU KYI FACES 2 NEW CHARGES
Ousted leader seen for first time since Feb 1 after appearing in court via video link
OUSTED Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was hit with two new criminal charges when she appeared in court via video link yesterday, a month after a military coup triggered relentless and massive protests.
Suu Kyi has not been seen since being detained on Feb 1, and her appearance came as demonstrators took to the streets again across the country in defiance of an escalation of deadly force from the junta.
At least 18 people died on Sunday
as troops and police fired live bullets at demonstrators in cities across Myanmar, according to the United Nations, which cited its own credible information.
Suu Kyi, 75, was already facing obscure criminal charges for possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies, as well as violating Covid-19 restrictions by staging a campaign event during last year’s elections.
She was also accused of a violation of communications laws as well as intent to incite public unrest, said her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw.
“We cannot say for sure how many more cases Suu Kyi will face in this period,” he said in Naypyidaw.
“Anything can happen in this country at this time.”
Myanmar ’s ousted president, Win Myint, is also facing the same intent to incite public unrest charge in addition to Covid19 restriction breaches.
Suu Kyi has reportedly been kept under house arrest in Naypyidaw, an isolated city that the military built during a previous dictatorship.
The military has justified its takeover, ending a decade-long democratic experiment, by making unfounded allegations of widespread fraud in last November’s national elections.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won the election in a landslide.
The generals have hit Suu Kyi with two charges the international community widely regards as frivolous, relating to importing walkie-talkies and staging a campaign rally during the pandemic.
Yesterday’s court proceedings were preliminary matters in the case, including with Khin Maung Zaw seeking to formally represent her.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to streets regularly over the past month to oppose the coup.
While the military has steadily increased the type of force used to try to contain the uprising, beginning with tear gas and water cannons, this weekend’s violence saw the biggest escalation.
One person was shot while crouching behind rubbish bins and other makeshift shields, and had to be dragged away by others, with the incident filmed by media.
AFP confirmed 10 deaths in Sunday’s violence, although there were fears the toll could be much higher.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a reliable monitoring group, estimated that about 30 people had been killed by security forces since the coup on Feb 1.