Aung San Suu Kyi

After the dissolution of Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the United Nations has called for a return to democracy in the country

The Southeast Asian country usually does most of its foreign trade through sea routes as it has a long coastline. It conducts border trade with China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India

Myanmar's military government plans to allow loyal civilians, including government employees and retired military personnel, to carry licensed firearms, but they must comply with orders from local authorities to participate in security and law enforcement actions, the military and media reports said. The announcement fanned fears of even more violence in a country wracked by what some United Nations experts have called a civil war. The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi two years ago, triggering widespread peaceful protests that turned into armed resistance after security forces used lethal force to suppress all opposition. A 15-page document about the new gun policy attributed to the Ministry of Home Affairs was initially circulated on pro-military Facebook accounts and Telegram channels. It was also published by pro-military and independent news outlets, which stated that it had been issued on Jan. 31 after being approved in December at a Cabinet

The council gave the administrative and judicial power to commanders of respective military commands to perform security, maintain the rule of law and tranquility

The prospects for peace in Myanmar, much less a return to democracy, seem dimmer than ever two years after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, experts say. On Wednesday, legions of opponents of military rule heeded a call by protest organisers to stay home in what they call a silent strike to show their strength and solidarity. The opposition's General Strike Coordination Body, formed soon after the 2021 takeover, urged people to stay inside in their homes or workplaces from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Photos posted on social media showed empty streets in the normally bustling downtown area of Yangon, the country's largest city, with just a few vehicles on the roads, and there were reports of similar scenes elsewhere. Small peaceful protests are an almost-daily occurrence throughout the country, but on the anniversary of the Feb. 1, 2021, seizure of power by the army, two points stand out: The level of violence, especially in the countryside, has reached th

A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday convicted the country's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a legal official said. The court's action leaves her with a total of 33 years to serve in prison following a series of politically tinged prosecutions since the army toppled her elected government in February 2021. She has also been convicted of several other offenses, which previously gave her a total of 26 years' imprisonment. Her supporters and independent analysts say the charges against her are an attempt to legitimise the military's seizure of power while eliminating her from politics before an election it has promised for next year. Friday's verdict in the purpose-built courtroom in the main prison on the outskirts of the capital, Naypyitaw, was made known by a legal official who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by the authorities. The trial was closed t

Myanmar has been gripped by violence since the army overthrew an elected government early last year

A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on two more corruption charges on Wednesday, with two three-year sentences, to be served concurrently, added to previous convictions that now leave her with a 26-year total prison term. Suu Kyi, 77, was detained on February 1, 2021, when the military seized power from her elected government. She has denied the allegations against her in this case, in which she was accused of receiving USD 550,000 as a bribe from Maung Weik, a tycoon convicted several years ago of drug trafficking. She had already been sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment after being convicted of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country's official secrets act, sedition, election fraud and five other corruption charges. Supporters and independent analysts say all the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to discredit her and legitimise the military's

A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in another criminal case Thursday and sentenced Australian economist Sean Turnell to three years in prison for violating an official secrets law, a legal official said. Suu Kyi received a three-year sentence after being tried and convicted with Turnell under the secrets act, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information about the case. Three members of Suu Kyi's Cabinet were also found guilty, each also receiving sentences of three years in prison. Turnell, an associate professor in economics at Sydney's Macquarie University, had served as an adviser to Suu Kyi, who was detained when her elected government was ousted by the army in 2021. He was arrested five days later while waiting for a car to take him to the airport. The exact details of the offense have not been made public, though state television said last year that Turnell had access to secr

Two days after Myanmar's former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to three years in jail for electoral fraud in 2020, increasing her total prison term to 20 years

A court in Myanmar on Friday sentenced the country's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years' imprisonment after finding her guilty of involvement in election fraud. The ruling adds more jail time to the 17 years she is already serving for other offenses. It also imperils the survival of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party following the government's explicit threats to dissolve it before a new election the military has promised will take place in 2023. Suu Kyi's party won the the 2020 general election in a landslide victory. The military seized power from Suu Kyi's elected government on February 1, 2021, saying it acted because of alleged widespread voter fraud. Independent election observers did not find any major irregularities. Two senior members of Suu Kyi's former government were co-defendants in the case and also received three-year prison sentences.

Myanmar's military-installed government expressed openness to arranging a meeting at the right time between UN special envoy Noeleen Heyzer and country's imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi: UN

A court controlled by the military junta in Myanmar sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to six more years in prison over alleged corruption, according to sources familiar with the proceedings.

The trial was held behind closed doors, with no access for media or the public, and her lawyers were forbidden by a gag order from revealing information about the proceedings.

Suu Kyi, who was deposed last year by the military, has been charged with 11 counts of corruption, each punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's former de facto leader who was ousted during the February 2021 military coup, has been sent to solitary confinement at a prison in capital Nay Pyi Taw, the media reported

Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was transferred on Wednesday from a secret detention location to a prison in the country's capital, legal officials familiar with her case said

Suu Kyi's trial in the capital Naypyitaw was closed to the public, and her lawyers were barred from speaking to media

The court in the capital Naypyitaw did not give any reason for delaying the expected verdict until Wednesday, said a legal official who spoke on condition of anonymity

Suu Kyi is being tried in the capital, Naypyitaw, in several cases involving charges of corruption, election fraud and violating a state secrets law