Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi faces new charge amid protests

myanmar

Myanmar’s detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been handed a second criminal charge on the day she appeared in court via video link. Ms Suu Kyi, who was earlier charged with possessing illegal walkie-talkies, is now also alleged to have violated the country’s Natural Disaster Law. It is not clear what the new charge, issued on Tuesday, relates to. Myanmar’s military earlier repeated its promise to hold fresh elections and relinquish power as protests continue. Anti-coup demonstrators are demanding the release of their elected leaders, including Ms Suu Kyi, following the military coup on 1 February.In the military’s first news conference since toppling the government, spokesman Brig Gen Zaw Min Tun said the armed forces would not remain in power for long, and promised to “hand power back to the winning party” following a planned election.(BBC)…[+]