JAKARTA – A senior adviser to ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has been imprisoned since the military’s February 1 coup died of Covid-19 yesterday, reported the Anadolu news agency.
Nyan Win, 78, died in hospital after being moved there last week from Yangon’s Insein Prison, said his party, the National League for Democracy, in a statement.
“We vow to continue to fight for our unfinished work to end the dictatorship in this country and form a federal democratic union.”
The State Administration Council – as the junta calls itself – said the politician died of complications caused by diabetes and hypertension, and stressed that Myanmar’s prisons are equipped to treat Covid-19 patients.
It said 375 inmates have been infected with the coronavirus to date, and six died before Nyan Win.
United Nations officials have warned of an alarming spike in cases and deaths in the country, whose healthcare system is collapsing.
Daily Covid-19 fatalities hit a record high of 281 yesterday, while 5,189 new infections bring the total closer to 235,000, according to the junta-controlled Health Ministry.
Some 400,000 people could die of the disease if no immediate action is taken to curb its spread, said Zaw Wai Soe, health minister of the shadow government set up by opponents of the military, in a statement yesterday.
Only 1.6 million of Myanmar’s 54 million people have been vaccinated, with the country aiming to cover half of the population this year.
About 750,000 Chinese-made vaccine doses are due to arrive tomorrow, and more will follow in the coming days, reported the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
At least 922 people have been killed by the military since it seized power, said a local monitor yesterday.
It said 5,315 have been arrested since the coup, with 255 given jail terms and 26 sentenced to death, including two children. – Bernama, July 21, 2021
