Ousted Myanmar leader may be held indefinitely
POLICE in Myanmar have filed a new charge against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer said, which may allow her to be held indefinitely without trial.
Lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told reporters after meeting a judge in the capital, Naypyitaw, that Ms Suu Kyi has been charged with violating Article 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law, which has been used to prosecute people who have broken coronavirus restrictions.
Ms Suu Kyi, who was ousted in a military coup on February 1, has already been charged with possessing walkie-talkies that were imported without being registered.
The maximum punishment for the Covid-19 violation is three years’ imprisonment. However, the new charge may allow the 75-year-old to be held indefinitely without trial because a change in the Penal Code instituted by the junta last week permits detention without court permission. Ousted President Win Myint was charged under the same law when he and Ms Suu Kyi were detained during the army’s takeover. Ms Suu Kyi held the top government post, with the title State Counsellor.
Groups of demonstrators turned out in Yangon and other cities yesterday to protest over the coup and demand that Ms Suu Kyi and members of her ousted government be freed from detention.
In Yangon, the country’s biggest city, police blocked off the street in front of the Central Bank, which protesters have targeted amid speculation online that the military is seeking to seize money from them. Buddhist monks demonstrated outside the United Nations’ local office.
The protests are taking place in defiance of an order banning gatherings of five or more people. Around 3,000 demonstrators – mainly students – returned to the streets in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city, carrying posters of Ms Suu Kyi and shouting for the return of democracy. Security presence was low-key around the march, with most police guarding key buildings in the city, such as state bank branches.
On Monday in Mandalay, soldiers and police violently broke up a gathering of more than 1,000 protesters in front of the Myanmar Economic Bank. They attacked protesters with catapults and sticks, and police could be seen aiming guns into the air amid sounds that resembled gunfire. Local media reported rubber bullets were fired into the crowd and that a few people were injured.
The government ordered internet access blocked on Sunday and Monday nights, without giving a reason.
It has in the past few weeks imposed selective and ineffective blocks on social media platforms and prepared a draft internet law that would criminalise many online activities. There is also widespread speculation that the government is installing a firewall system that can monitor or block most or all online activity.
The military contends there was fraud in last year’s election, which Ms Suu Kyi’s party won in a landslide, and says it will hold power for a year before holding new elections. The state election commission found no evidence to support the claims of fraud.
The military says its takeover is legitimate under a 2008 constitution that was drafted under military rule and ensures the army maintains ultimate control over the country. The UN, the United States and other governments have urged it to return power to the elected government.