The Myanmar government has charged former State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi with electoral fraud and lawless actions during the November polls, which her party, the National League for Democracy, won decisively. As per local media reports, the law enforcement agencies have submitted in the court a detailed charge accusing her and members of her ruling club for “election fraud and lawless actions”, and the court proceedings would start soon. No further details are available in the public domain.
The other prominent names who are facing these charges include former president Win Myint and the chairman of the election commission. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military takeover of the country which took place in February which had sparked nationwide protests and had led to strict actions by the military forces on the protesters. As per a recent report by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners the military takeover had resulted in violent protests, widespread anger and the coming up of People’s Defence Forces to fight against the military which had led to the killing of more than 1,200 people and over 11,000 people have been arrested as the security forces have tried curb the protests in the country. Since the takeover Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, has been detailed and faces multiple charges which includes sedition, corruption, illegally importing walkie talkies etc. The former leader of Myanmar is already on trial for flouting coronavirus restrictions while campaigning ahead of the election.
Myanmar’s military has alleged that there was large scale fraud in the election and it was necessary to power grab to save the country from the hands of a corrupt party. International observers said the 2020 polls were largely free and fair.
Talking to The Daily Guardian, Ved Prakash, an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations, at University of Delhi, who had closely followed the developments, said, “The situation is dangerous in the country. The military is killing people and Myanmar is on the verge of a civil war. The latest developments signal that the intervention from the international community in general and the big powers in particular is needed to improve the situation. In this whole episode, a few countries are helping the military Junta to act in a barbaric manner and end the democratic road for Myanmar. It is not good for the country itself and the region also.” The military Junta had controlled Myanmar for most of the decades since the last 50 years, with Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now aged 76, spending years under house arrest.