Suu Kyi hit with new charges as Myanmar protesters rally again

Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in a court hearing via video conference where she was charged under Myanmar’s colonial-era penal code prohibiting publishing information that may “cause fear or alarm,” her lawyer said according to Reuters.

• Aung San Suu Kyi appeared healthy during the call, although had perhaps lost weight, her lawyer told Reuters. The next hearing is scheduled for 15 March.
• The reappearance of Suu Kyi came as protesters rebuilt barricades and stared down security forces in the wake of Sunday’s violence.
• In Yangon, protesters dragged bamboo scaffolding, tires and other debris into the roads to form barricades as they chanted slogans. Local media Myanmar Now reported that security forces used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse protesters in two townships Monday.
• The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said at least 270 people had been detained on Sunday, from a total of 1,132 it said had been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup.
• Human rights activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi said the violent crackdown would not deter protesters. “The bloodshed made the resistance stronger, determined and united more than ever. So it is truly counterproductive,” she said.
• At least 18 people were killed in the violence, according to UN estimates, and 30 injured. Hundreds of people were arrested over the weekend, including many medics.

Several governments expressed outrage at the killings, including the US and UK, while the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, urged the international community to “send a clear signal to the military that it must respect the will of the people of Myanmar as expressed through the election and stop the repression”.