Hindu editorial on Myanmar crisis

Myanmar’s ousted State Councilor and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s conviction in a corruption case shows nothing more than the junta’s desperation to silence her. For the military, which is determined to destroy the Southeast Asian country’s popular democracy, Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since the February 2021 coup, remains enemy number one. The conviction in kangaroo court was based on the testimony of the former chief minister of Yangon, who claimed that he had handed her $600,000 and gold in return for favors. The prosecution did not produce any evidence. He was previously convicted on five other charges and sentenced to six years in prison. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment by the court in the corruption case. With the clear objective of keeping the 76-year-old leader in jail, the junta has booked more cases against him. Since the coup, it has arrested 10,300 political prisoners, including most of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy elected lawmakers. The forces have also killed at least 1,798 civilians and threatened to “wipe out” all opponents.

Myanmar’s military is one of the most stubborn enemies of democracy and basic human liberties, having ruled using brute force for nearly 50 years. But even in the darkest moments of Myanmar’s past, there was popular resistance. And over the past three decades, Ms. Chi has been the epitome of that resistance. Between 1989 and 2010, he spent 15 years in house arrest. Facing international isolation and growing domestic anger, the military agreed to release him and share power with civilians through a quasi-democratic system. He barred him from becoming president and reserved key departments, including the Defense Ministry, for generals. Nevertheless, the 2015 and 2020 elections saw overwhelming public support for his party, and the country saw, barring military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, relative stability and growing economic opportunities. But the military worried whether Suu Kyi would end her privileges after a second election in a row. It was this fear that prompted the generals to undertake another coup. They may have succeeded in overturning Myanmar’s limited experiment with democracy, but the coup has also wreaked havoc on the country. The opposition has taken up arms, pushing the country to the brink of civil war. The nationwide strike has crippled the country’s economy. Political opponents of the coup have also formed an alternative unity government. So far, the military has managed to hold on to power through sheer repression. But it is not a permanent model. Even silencing Ms. Suu Kyi would not help the junta to consolidate its control over a divided, poor and rebellious country.