Coup in Myanmar: Suu Kyi hit with two new charges
Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared at a court hearing via video conferencing yesterday as supporters marched in several towns and cities in defiance of a crackdown after the bloodiest day since the February 1 military coup.
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of protesters in the main city of Yangon yesterday, witnesses said. They later combed through side streets firing rubber bullets and at least one person was hurt, media reported.
In an evening address on state television army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said protest leaders and "instigators" would be punished. The army was also investigating financial abuse by the civilian government, he said.
Suu Kyi, aged 75, looked in good health during her appearance before a court in the capital Naypyidaw, one of her lawyers said. Two more charges were added to those filed against her after the coup, she said.
"I saw Amay on the video, she looks healthy," lawyer Min Min Soe told Reuters, using an affectionate term meaning "mother" to refer to Suu Kyi.
"She asked to meet her lawyer."
The Nobel Peace laureate, who leads the National League for Democracy (NLD), has not been seen in public since her government was ousted and she was detained along with other party leaders.
She was initially charged with illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Later, a charge of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols was added.
Two more charges were added yesterday, one under a section of a colonial-era penal code prohibiting publication of information that may "cause fear or alarm", and the other under a telecommunications law stipulating licences for equipment, the lawyer said.
The next hearing will be on March 15. Critics of the coup say the charges were trumped up.
'SEVERE ACTION'
Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power after alleging fraud in a November election won by the NLD in a landslide, with daily protests getting increasingly violent as police and troops try to stamp them out.
In his speech, read out by a newsreader on state-run MRTV, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said action would be taken against civil servants refusing to work for the junta.
He said the military was investigating what he called corruption by the civilian government, accusing the authorities of misusing money meant for Covid-19 prevention efforts.
"The respective ministries are working to find out such financial abuse," he said, adding action would be taken against organizations where foreign currency funds were found.
He said a committee formed by ousted lawmakers from the civilian government, which has announced the formation of a government-in-exile, was illegal and anyone associated with it would be punished.
The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) yesterday declared the junta a terrorist group and called the violence against protesters a "declaration of war on unarmed civilians".
On Sunday, police fired on crowds in several places, killing 18 people, the United Nations human rights office said. A committee representing lawmakers elected last year said 26 people were killed but Reuters was unable to verify that.
"We have to continue the protest no matter what," Thar Nge said after police firing tear gas forced him and others to abandon a barricade in a Yangon street.
Demonstrators marched yesterday in the northwestern town of Kale holding up pictures of Suu Kyi and live video on Facebook showed a crowd in the northeastern town of Lashio, chanting slogans. Police and soldiers later raided a church in the town and detained 11 people, a church group said.
'ABHORRENT'
The coup brought a halt to Myanmar's tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule and has drawn condemnation from Western countries and growing concern among its neighbours.
Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), of which Myanmar is a member, will hold a video meeting on Myanmar today and listen to representative of the Myanmar military, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said.
Balakrishnan called for the security forces to desist from the use of lethal force, for Suu Kyi's release, and for talks on solutions and a way back to democratic transition.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced what he called "abhorrent violence" by security forces, while Canada's foreign minister, Marc Garneau, called the use of lethal force "appalling".
Germany yesterday lashed out against a deadly crackdown on protesters in Myanmar, summoning the Southeast Asian nation's ambassador to express its condemnation, reports AFP.
Britain yesterday demanded Myanmar stop the violence. "One month on and the military in Myanmar continues to escalate its use of violence to support its coup, including the killing of peaceful protesters over the weekend," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
Tom Andrews, a UN special rapporteur, said it was clear the junta's assault would continue so the international community should ratchet up its response.
He proposed a global arms embargo, more sanctions on those behind the coup and on military businesses and a UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court.
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