1ST FORMAL CHARGE LEVELLED AGAINST MYANMAR’S SUU KYI

Giving military authorities who staged a coup a legal reason to detain her at least through the middle of the month

Police levelled their first formal charge against Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, members of her party said Wednesday, giving military authorities who staged a coup a legal reason to detain her at least through the middle of the month.

The charge - that Suu Kyi was in possession of illegally imported walkie talkies - came to light two days after she was placed under house arrest and appeared to merely be an effort to lend a legal veneer to her detention, though the generals have previously kept her and others locked up for years.

At the same time that authorities were working to keep Suu Kyi in detention, hundreds of lawmakers who had been forced to stay at government housing after the coup were told Wednesday to leave the capital city within 24 hours and go home, said a member of Parliament from Suu Kyi's party who is among the group.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared drawing the attention of the military.

Top generals announced Monday that they would take power for one year - accusing

Suu Kyi's government of not investigating the military's allegations of voter fraud in recent elections.

Suu Kyi's party swept that vote, and the military-backed party did poorly.

National League for Democracy spokesman Kyi Toe confirmed the charge against Suu Kyi that carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

He also said the country's ousted president, Win Myint, was charged with violating the natural disaster management law.

A leaked charge sheet dated February 1 indicates they can be held until February 15.

Police and

Soldiers ride in military armoured vehicles in Myitkyina, Kachin (left); Protesters burn an image of Myanmars army chief General Min Aung Hlaing in front of the United Nations building in Bangkok (right)

court officials in the capital Naypyitaw could not immediately be contacted.