In a broadcast on state television aimed at discrediting the ousted civilian government, a Myanmar building magnate with links to military rulers said he personally gave more than half a million dollars in cash to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The statement by Maung Waik could pave the way for more serious charges to be brought against Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the military took over on Feb. 1, while security forces have steadily used lethal force against a popular rebellion demanding the restoration of democratically elected leaders.
Suu Kyi has also been accused of corruption by the military, which claims she was given $600,000 and gold bars by a political ally. So far, she and President Win Myint have been charged with inciting violence, possessing walkie-talkies, and violating a pandemic order that prohibits public gatherings.
Maung Waik, who has previously been convicted of drug trafficking, said on state television that he gave cash to government ministers to support his businesses. He said the funds included $100,000 given to Suu Kyi in 2018 for a charitable organization named after her mother, $150,000 in 2019 for an unknown cause, $50,000 in February, and $250,000 in April, all for an unknown reason.
According to Myanmar’s state-run newspaper Global New Light, the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating the allegations and has agreed to prosecute Suu Kyi under the Anti-Corruption Statute.
Meanwhile, the country’s U.N. ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, has been given an arrest warrant on treason charges, according to the newspaper.
The charge stems from his remarks at the United Nations on Feb. 26 in which he condemned the coup and urged the international community to take “the strongest possible steps” to restore democracy in his country.
According to the newspaper, Mahn Win Khaing Than, the civilian leader of Myanmar’s government in exile, was also charged with treason. On Saturday, the acting vice president and a member of Suu Kyi’s political party vowed to continue supporting a “revolution” to depose the military.
Residents in a Yangon suburb set fire to street barricades on Thursday to prevent riot police from entering.
Big plumes of smoke could be seen rising over the Tha Mine area in the city’s Hlaing township, and another barricade was burning ferociously in the middle of a residential area, according to video. Residents set them on fire after hearing that a column of police vehicles was on its way, according to one resident who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation.
Building barricades – and sometimes burning them – has become a popular strategy used by junta opponents around the country to block police and army movement. The barriers also shield them from the increasingly common use of live ammunition against them.
According to media and social media posts that included images of the victims, at least two people were shot dead in Kalay, Myanmar’s northwestern region, on Wednesday. According to reliable estimates, security forces have killed over 200 people since the coup.
