A man flashes the three-fingered gesture while others hold images of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a candlelight night demonstration
Credit: AP
A Myanmar businessman has claimed on state TV that he gave Aung San Suu Kyi £400,000 in cash bribes, as the country’s last independent newspaper stopped publishing in the wake of the military coup.
Maung Waik, a construction tycoon with links to the military rulers, alleged that he personally handed over the money to Suu Kyi from 2018 to 2020, when she headed the first civilian-led government after decades of military rule.
The hugely popular Ms Suu Kyi hasn’t been seen since she was detained on the morning of the Feb 1 coup along with members of her democratically elected government.
Security forces are using deadly force to try to suppress mass protests in the South-East Asian nation against the military coup.
At least 217 people have been killed, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
The claim alleging Ms Suu Kyi took bribes is thought to be aimed at discrediting the ousted government, and suggests that authorities may be preparing to prosecute the detained leader on more serious charges.
She has already been charged with possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies, breaching telecommunications laws, violating restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid, and intent to cause public unrest.
The junta has also previously alleged that Ms Suu Kyi took money and gold bars from a political ally.
Security forces are using deadly force to try to suppress mass protests
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State-run media announced Thursday that authorities have charged two other key figures with treason.
These include the country’s United Nations ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, who appealed for help to restore democracy to Myanmar at the UN in New York last month.
Fired by the junta after his stunning appeal, he is nevertheless still recognized by the UN as the envoy of the elected Myanmar government.
Also charged is Mahn Win Khaing Than, the civilian leader of Myanmar’s government-in-hiding, who urged citizens to come together to win a “revolution” against the military in a video address from an unknown location at the weekend.
Underscoring how Myanmar’s tentative progress towards democracy has been rolled back, the country’s last private newspaper shut down on Wednesday.
The closure marked the end of an eight-year period in which independent newspapers were allowed to operate alongside state media.
A total of 37 journalists have been arrested, 19 of whom remain in detention
Credit: REUTERS
Some newspapers have shut because of orders from the authorities, while others have been forced to close for other reasons, including fears for the safety of their journalists.
A total of 37 journalists have been arrested, 19 of whom remain in detention, according to the UN human rights office.
As well as the stifling of independent media, internet services are increasingly restricted in the country. On Thursday, several towns reported no internet at all.
On Wednesday, a government-appointed association of monks – the country’s most powerful – came out in condemnation of the military crackdown on protesters and accused an "armed minority" of torturing and killing innocent civilians.
Dozens of accounts of horrific violence have started to emerge, with people claiming they have been severely beaten and tortured by their captors, as well as being kicked in the face and shot at close range with rubber bullets while being arrested.
Over the past three weeks, 10 people are known to have died in custody. Three of these were members of Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
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