(Photo: AFP)The government has asked Myanmar to release detainees against the backdrop of intensified protests in which seven more protesters were killed. The junta reacted to international condemnation of its crackdown by claiming ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi had accepted hefty illegal payments. The military, which has defended its takeover by citing voting irregularities in November elections won by Ms Suu Kyi's party, held a rare news conference on Thursday accusing Ms Suu Kyi of corruption. In the capital Nay Pyi Taw, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said the detained chief minister of Yangon had admitted giving Ms Suu Kyi US$600,000 (18.3 million baht) in cash, along with more than 11 kilogrammes of gold. Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, detained since the Feb 1 putsch, is already facing several criminal charges including owning unlicensed walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions.

Source: Bangkok Post March 11, 2021 23:03 UTC