Myanmar Charges Suu Kyi, Giving Legal Basis to Detain Her
2021-02-04
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1Police in Myanmar announced their first charge against the country's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, members of her political party said Wednesday.
2The military removed Suu Kyi from office in an overthrow Monday and restricted her to her home.
3Suu Kyi is charged with possession of illegally imported radio devices called walkie-talkies.
4The military declared a one-year emergency rule after the overthrow.
5It accused Suu Kyi's government of not investigating reports of wrongdoing in recent elections.
6Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, NLD, had won the election easily, with the military-backed party receiving little support.
7NLD spokesman Kyi Toe confirmed the charge against Suu Kyi.
8If found guilty she could face up to three years in prison.
9Kyi Toe also said the country's former president, Win Myint, was charged with violating Myanmar's natural disaster management law.
10Both politicians can reportedly be detained until February 15.
11"It was clear that the military were going to look for some legal cases against the leaders of the National League for Democracy and especially Aung San Suu Kyi to actually legitimize what they've tried to do," said Larry Jagan.
12He is an independent expert on Myanmar politics.
13Police and court officials in the capital could not immediately be reached.
14Also Wednesday, an unidentified NLD lawmaker told the Associated Press that hundreds of members of the ousted Parliament are under order to leave the capital within 24 hours.
15The lawmakers had been detained in government housing since the overthrow.
16The NLD has repeatedly called for nonviolent resistance since the overthrow.
17Many people in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, protested in the night.
18Some people also demonstrated in support of military rule.
19Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former political prisoner.
20The military rulers of Myanmar detained her for about 20 years as she pushed for democratic reform in Myanmar.
21After her political party won elections in 2015, she became the country's leader.
22Suu Kyi worked with the generals who kept considerable governing power as democracy was established in the country.
23She received severe international criticism after she defended the military's campaign against Rohingya Muslims beginning in 2017.
24The United States has threatened Myanmar with sanctions in reaction to the overthrow.
25The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting about the issue Tuesday.
26Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations released a statement Wednesday calling for the release of Suu Kyi and others.
27It also demanded that rule of Myanmar be returned to the democratically elected government.
28General Min Aung Hlaing led the overthrow and declared himself Myanmar's new leader.
29On Tuesday, he said his government plans to investigate charges of voter wrongdoing in last year's elections, reported the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar.
30The country's election officials had found no major problems with the vote.
31Experts have said that the strong NLD election victory may have frightened the generals.
32General Min Aung Hlaing also said that COVID-19 containment measures taken by Suu Kyi's government would be continued.
33However, medical workers have announced that they will not work for the new military government.
34Myanmar has confirmed more than 140,600 cases including some 3,100 deaths.
35Its health care system is one of the least developed in Asia, the United Nations says.
36I'm Susan Shand.
1Police in Myanmar announced their first charge against the country's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, members of her political party said Wednesday. The military removed Suu Kyi from office in an overthrow Monday and restricted her to her home. 2Suu Kyi is charged with possession of illegally imported radio devices called walkie-talkies. 3The military declared a one-year emergency rule after the overthrow. It accused Suu Kyi's government of not investigating reports of wrongdoing in recent elections. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, NLD, had won the election easily, with the military-backed party receiving little support. 4NLD spokesman Kyi Toe confirmed the charge against Suu Kyi. If found guilty she could face up to three years in prison. Kyi Toe also said the country's former president, Win Myint, was charged with violating Myanmar's natural disaster management law. Both politicians can reportedly be detained until February 15. 5"It was clear that the military were going to look for some legal cases against the leaders of the National League for Democracy and especially Aung San Suu Kyi to actually legitimize what they've tried to do," said Larry Jagan. He is an independent expert on Myanmar politics. 6Police and court officials in the capital could not immediately be reached. 7Also Wednesday, an unidentified NLD lawmaker told the Associated Press that hundreds of members of the ousted Parliament are under order to leave the capital within 24 hours. The lawmakers had been detained in government housing since the overthrow. 8The NLD has repeatedly called for nonviolent resistance since the overthrow. Many people in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, protested in the night. Some people also demonstrated in support of military rule. 9Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former political prisoner. The military rulers of Myanmar detained her for about 20 years as she pushed for democratic reform in Myanmar. After her political party won elections in 2015, she became the country's leader. 10Suu Kyi worked with the generals who kept considerable governing power as democracy was established in the country. She received severe international criticism after she defended the military's campaign against Rohingya Muslims beginning in 2017. 11The United States has threatened Myanmar with sanctions in reaction to the overthrow. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting about the issue Tuesday. 12Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations released a statement Wednesday calling for the release of Suu Kyi and others. It also demanded that rule of Myanmar be returned to the democratically elected government. 13General Min Aung Hlaing led the overthrow and declared himself Myanmar's new leader. On Tuesday, he said his government plans to investigate charges of voter wrongdoing in last year's elections, reported the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar. The country's election officials had found no major problems with the vote. 14Experts have said that the strong NLD election victory may have frightened the generals. 15General Min Aung Hlaing also said that COVID-19 containment measures taken by Suu Kyi's government would be continued. However, medical workers have announced that they will not work for the new military government. 16Myanmar has confirmed more than 140,600 cases including some 3,100 deaths. Its health care system is one of the least developed in Asia, the United Nations says. 17I'm Susan Shand. 18The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 19________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21management - n. the process of dealing with or controlling things or people 22actually - adv. as the truth or facts of a situation 23legalize - v. to make legal or legitimate 24sanctions - n. measures taken by a nation to coerce another to conform to an international agreement or norms of conduct, typically in the form of restrictions on trade 25We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.