MANDALAY, Myanmar (AP) – A Myanmar tycoon in construction linked to military leaders has claimed to have personally donated more than half a million dollars in cash to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a state television show discrediting the dismissed civilian government.
Maung Waik’s statement could pave the way for more serious accusations against Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the February 1 military takeover, as security forces increasingly use lethal force against a popular uprising calling for re-establishment. democratically elected leaders.
The military has already tried to implicate Suu Kyi in corruption, claiming that she was given $ 600,000 plus gold bars by a political ally. She and President Win Myint have so far been accused of inciting unrest, owning a walkie-talkie and violating a pandemic order that limits public gatherings.
In the latest bailout, Maung Waik, who was previously convicted of drug trafficking, told state television that he gave money to government ministers to help his business. He said the money included $ 100,000 given to Suu Kyi in 2018 for a charity named after her mother, $ 150,000 in 2019 for which she did not specify a reason, $ 50,000 in February last year and $ 250,000 in April. again without any specified purpose.
Meanwhile, a court in Myanmar has issued an arrest warrant for the country’s UN ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, on charges of treason, Myanmar’s state-run newspaper Global New Light reported.
The accusation comes from his remarks to the United Nations in New York on February 26, in which he condemned the coup and called for “the strongest possible action by the international community” to restore democracy in his country.
Also accused of treason was Mahn Win Khaing Than, the civilian leader of the hidden Myanmar government, the newspaper reported. Suu Kyi’s incumbent vice president and member of the political party spoke for the first time since the coup on Saturday, when he vowed to continue supporting a “revolution” to oust the army.
On Thursday, residents of a suburb of Yangon burned street barricades to block police against the riot.
The video showed large heats of smoke rising over the Tha Mine area of the city’s Hlaing city, with another barricade lit in the middle of a residential area. A resident, who did not want to be called for fear of reprisals, told The Associated Press that protesters set them on fire after hearing that a column of police trucks was on its way.
The construction of the barricades – and their occasional burning – are now tactics set by junta opponents across the country to impede the movement of police and the army. Barriers also provide protection against the frequent use of live ammunition against them.
On Wednesday, at least two people were shot dead in Kalay, northwestern Myanmar, according to media and social media posts that included photos of the victims. More than 200 people have been reported killed in the coup.
Pope Francis has also called for an end to the bloodshed.
In an apparent reference to widely circulated images of a Myanmar nun kneeling in the street in front of the security forces, begging them not to shoot the protesters, Francis said: “I also kneel on the streets of Myanmar and say: let the violence cease. “