(Reuters) – Myanmar’s detained government leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday asked a court to allow him to meet in person with his lawyers when he appeared at a hearing via a video link to dealing with military junta charges that could see her imprisoned for years.
As Suu Kyi showed up, her followers demanded that people show their opposition to the February 1 coup during this week’s traditional New Year’s holiday in the predominantly Buddhist country.
Suu Kyi, 75, who has led the fight against Myanmar’s military government for decades and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has been arrested since the coup and charged with various crimes. These include the violation of an official act of colonial-era secrets that could see her imprisoned for 14 years.
He has only been allowed to speak to his lawyers via a video link in the presence of security officials and it is not known if he is even aware of the turmoil that has surrounded the country since the military took power. .
“No, no, we could only talk about legal issues,” lawyer Min Min Soe told Reuters when asked if her legal team had been able to talk to her about the protests in which more than 700 people have died. .
The lawyer said Suu Kyi looked healthy as she repeated a request to meet face-to-face with her lawyers. The next hearing will be on April 26th.
In addition to the charge of official secrets, Suu Kyi has been accused of illegally possessing two-way radios and violating coronavirus protocols. She has also been accused of bribery by the ruling military council.
His lawyers say the charges were ruined and dismiss the bribery charge as a joke.
An additional complaint against her related to coronavirus rules was filed on Monday, Min Min Soe said.
The coup has plunged Myanmar into crisis after ten years of interim steps towards democracy, as the military withdrew from politics and allowed Suu Kyi to form a government after his party swept the 2015 elections. .
The military says it had to overthrow its government because a November election won again by its National League for Democracy was broken. The election commission dismissed the indictment.
The coup has sparked relentless protests by opponents of the military government and inflexible suppression by generals who say only they can save the country from disintegration.
“POWER OF PEOPLE”
Security forces have killed 706 protesters, including 46 children, since the coup, according to a count by the Political Prisoners Assistance Association (AAPP) activist group.
This included 82 people killed in the town of Bago, about 70 km (45 miles) northeast of Yangon, on Friday.
Without any fear of violence, activists called for a challenge this week for the new traditional five-day New Year, known as Thingyan, which begins on Tuesday.
The most important festivals of the year are usually celebrated with prayers, ritual cleansing of Buddha images in the temples and throwing water throws in the streets.
“The military council does not own Thingyan. The power of the people is in the hands of the people, “Ei Thinzar Maung, leader of the protest group of the General Strike Collaboration Committee, wrote on Facebook.
Ei Thinzar Maung, who called for a “popular Thingyan,” said Buddhists should wear certain religious costumes and recite prayers together, for members of small Christian communities to wear white psalms and read, and for followers of other religions to follow. the directions of their leaders. .
Reports on social media said security forces had opened fire in the northwestern city of Tamu on Monday and police had broken up a protest in the city of Mandalay.
Three civilians were killed in fighting between the army and insurgents from Kachin’s ethnic minorities in the north, the online news service Irrawaddy reported.
Details of the violence were difficult to obtain due to the limitations of the board on broadband Internet and mobile data services.
A board spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Reuters staff reports, written by Robert Birsel; edited by Jane Wardell and Simon Cameron-Moore and Angus MacSwan