YANGON – Myanmar’s junta has again postponed court proceedings against deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, her lawyers said, as they fight for permission to visit her 12 weeks after she was detained.
The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted the Nobel laureate in a February 1 coup, shunting the country back into junta rule after a brief experiment with democracy.
Large swathes of the population have taken to the streets in protest, with security forces unleashing a brutal campaign to quell the massive uprising.
Meanwhile, Suu Kyi has been under house arrest, with the junta charging her under six cases – including for sedition and having unlicensed walkie-talkies.
But movement on her case was once again delayed until May 10, said her lawyer Min Min Soe yesterday after a hearing.
Twelve weeks since Suu Kyi was detained, Min Min Soe said her attorneys still have not received permission to meet their client face-to-face – one of many hurdles the team has faced.
“When the judge asked (police) which stage they have reached, they replied they couldn’t tell specifically,” she said, adding that Suu Kyi was frustrated by the slow pace.
“I think she is not getting access to watch news and TV. I do not think she knows the current situation happening in the country.”
Besides not being able to meet with Suu Kyi, junta-imposed mobile data shutdowns have also prevented video-conferencing in previous hearings.
The most serious charge Suu Kyi faces falls under Myanmar’s official secrets law, with a hearing due on May 6 here.
“Eradicate the fascist army”
Nationwide protests continued yesterday, with demonstrators in the south holding signs that said “Free our leaders” and waving red flags emblazoned with a golden peacock – the symbol of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) Party.
In commercial hub Yangon, dozens of protesters took part in a flash mob, which lasted only 10 minutes – a lightning-quick show of resistance to avoid confrontation with security forces.
Waving a three-finger salute, they chanted “Eradicate the fascist army!”
The junta has justified its power grab by claiming it is protecting democracy, alleging electoral fraud in November elections, which the NLD won in a landslide.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing had over the weekend travelled to Jakarta, Indonesia, for a top-level meeting with the 10-country bloc of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) – his first overseas trip since his power grab.
The meeting produced a “consensus statement” that called for the cessation of violence, but stopped short of demanding a release of political prisoners.
It drew condemnation from much of Myanmar’s civil society – already angered by Asean’s invitation to the general.
“The statement does not include what the civilians are asking for – respect for their basic human rights, democracy and peace,” said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring group that has tracked post-coup Myanmar’s escalating death toll.
“People in Burma are not asking for humanitarian aid, but for the international community to stand for the truth,” it said, referring to Myanmar by its former name.
Former United States president Barack Obama yesterday urged Myanmar’s neighbours to “recognise that a murderous regime rejected by the people will only bring greater instability, humanitarian crisis, and the risk of a failed state”.
According to AAPP’s latest figures, security forces have killed more than 750 people.
The junta has given a much lower death toll and blames the violence on “rioters”.
State-run television news last night called AAPP an “illegal association”, and action will be taken against it.
It also reported that one member of the security forces was killed in Chin state, when their convoy was attacked by people with homemade guns. – AFP, April 27, 2021
