A special court on Friday formally charged a Myanmar-born American, initially accused of attempting to foment rebellion against the country’s military rulers, for forgery and violation of the foreign currency act, his lawyer said.
In another court case, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear final arguments to decide whether to review the most recent extension of the house arrest of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Kyaw Zaw Lwin, a US citizen, was charged with forgery for allegedly making up a national identity card, which carries maximum seven-year prison term. He was also charged with violating the currency act, that could put him in prison for another three years, his lawyer Nyan Win said.
Kyaw Zaw Lwin, who is also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, was arrested on Sept. 3 when he arrived at Yangon airport and accused of trying to stir up anti-government protests.
The lawyer said his client ended a 12-day hunger strike on Dec. 15 and “looked well and was in good spirits.”
Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s mother is serving a five-year prison term for political activities and his sister was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role in democracy protests in 2007.
The lawyer for Aung San Suu Kyi, also Nyan Win, said the Supreme Court posted an announcement on its notice board setting on Jan. 18 as the date to hear final arguments in her latest case.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court in November after a lower court upheld a decision to sentence her to 18 months of house arrest.
She had been convicted in August last year of violating her previous term by briefly sheltering a US intruder who swam uninvited to her lakeside home.
The legal team argued that her house arrest extension was unlawful as it was based on provisions from the 1974 Constitution that was no longer in existence, said Nyan Win.
“We are optimistic that the Supreme Court will review the Divisional Court decision as we have presented strong legal points,” he said.
The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate was initially sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor, but that sentence was commuted to 18 months of house arrest by junta chief Senior General Than Shwe.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years.
Suu Kyi’s sentence ensures she cannot participate in Myanmar’s first elections in two decades that are scheduled for next year.
Her party swept the last elections in 1990, but the results were never honored by the military, which has ruled the country since 1962.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese