While it is true that the world has invested in Myanmar’s democratic transition over the past decade, the unbelievably naïve dumping of Ms Suu Kyi as the best bet for the country because she allegedly defended the military action against Rohingya insurgents in Rakhine state (while being critical of excesses by the security forces) has been the international community’s cardinal error.
February 24, 2022The sentences are to be served concurrently. She also received a two-year sentence under the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly violating coronavirus rules while campaigning. Suu Kyi was convicted last month on two other charges ~ incitement and breaching Covid-19 restrictions ~ and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. Hours after that sentence was issued, the head of the military-installed government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, reduced it by half.
January 12, 2022They include charges of corruption, violating COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign.
January 11, 2022While international condemnation of Ms Suu Kyi's December 6 sentencing this month has been widespread with the United States, United Nations and European Union all calling her conviction politically motivated there is a question as to how long the global community will advocate for her release
December 23, 2021The plot thickens as the verdict stipulates Suu Kyi will be detained at an undisclosed location. The secrecy is almost incredible. And irreversible will be the eclipse of democracy, unless continued protests by Myanmar’s civil society succeed in showing the military the error of its ways.
December 8, 2021At another remove, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the junta’s leader, announced on Sunday that he effectively ruled out any return to democracy before August 2023.
August 4, 2021Such heartrending stories abound. The suffering caused by the military’s takeover of a country with a population of 54 million has been relentless.
July 9, 2021As the military takeover unfolded, government residences in Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon were ringed in by military vehicles, leading to the detention of a majority of senior NLD figures and senior civil servants.
June 28, 2021"Time is of the essence. The opportunity to reverse the military takeover is narrowing."
June 22, 2021The icon of democracy had, it would be pertinent to recall, suffered the predicament since the early 1990s.
June 17, 2021Governments of the North-eastern states bordering Myanmar have expressed sympathy for refugees fleeing military crackdown in that country.
April 26, 2021Suu Kyi was arrested on 1 February when the military grabbed power in a coup. It alleges that a general election last year, which saw Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) win by a landslide, was fraudulent, though there is no evidence to substantiate the charge. Myanmar has been rocked by weeks of protests since the coup.
April 4, 2021A reporter, representing the Associated Press, was arrested while covering anti-junta protests in the biggest city of Yangon. To that can be added the latest form of military repression ~ patients were forced out of a hospital in the west of the country
March 16, 2021The other is that Suu Kyi’s virtual presence in court has come a day after at least 18 protesters were killed by security forces in the bloodiest crackdown since the military takeover. Thirteen more were done to death on Wednesday.
March 5, 2021So, as the West continues dilly-dallying over providing direct support to the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy due to her vilification on the Rohingya issue, Asean makes the right noises in support of pro-democracy protesters but seems unwilling to do anything more, and Beijing waits patiently in the wings as its influence in Myanmar grows, India has a decision to make.
February 26, 2021The till recently ruling Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had, it must not be forgotten, not only attempted to reduce the military’s political authority but also outright denied the Tatmadaw’s demand for an investigation into the November 2020 General Election which was the pretext used by the military dictatorship to assume all political power.
February 16, 2021Myanmar was controlled by military for half a century (1962-2011) until democratic reforms led by Suu Kyi ended military rule. The 2015 General elections of Myanmar were the first openly contested elections since 1990.
February 15, 2021