Suu Kyi slapped with two new criminal charges
OUSTED civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was hit with two new criminal charges when she appeared in court via video link, 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.
Suu Kyi, 75, was already facing obscure criminal charges for possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies, as well as violating coronavirus restrictions by staging a campaign event during last year’s election.
She is now also accused of a violation of communications laws as well as intent to incite public unrest, her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said.
“We cannot say for sure how many more cases Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will face in this period,” he told reporters 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 coronavirus 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.
Asean foreign ministers will hold a special meeting today to discuss Myanmar, Singapore’s foreign minister said, calling for the immediate release of Suu Kyi.
“A special Asean foreign ministers meeting will be convened via video conference tomorrow and where we will listen to the representative of the Myanmar military authorities,” Vivian Balakrishnan said in parliament yesterday.
He also called on the Myanmar military authorities to desist from the use of lethal force, “and to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation to prevent further bloodshed, violence and deaths”.
He also urged all parties in Myanmar to engage in discussions to find long-term political solutions, including a way to return to the path of democratic transition.
“We believe this can only begin if President Win Myint, State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, and the other political detainees are immediately released,” he told parliament.
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.
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.
Yesterday, protests erupted again in multiple cities across the country, with demonstrators in Yangon using bamboo poles, sofas and tree branches to erect barricades across streets.
In one clash broadcast live on Facebook and verified by reporters, unarmed protesters fled after a volley of shots were fired.
It was not immediately clear if the security forces had fired live rounds or rubber bullets.
Hundreds of people were also arrested over the weekend with many in Yangon taken to Insein Prison, where Myanmar’s leading democracy campaigners have served long jail terms under previous dictatorships.
More than 1,100 people have been arrested, charged, or sentenced since the coup, according to The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. — Agencies