Myanmar
Justice, accountability must for Rohingya, speakers say in The Hague
International community and States Parties of Rome Statute need to stand resolutely with Bangladesh in securing sustainable return of the Rohingya people to their homeland, Myanmar, speakers told a discussion in the city.
They underlined it at an event during the 21st (annual) Assembly of the States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague on Friday.
The event titled ‘Justice for the Rohingyas and No Peace without Justice’ was co-hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy to the Netherlands, the Government of Gambia.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands, M Riaz Hamidullah, Deputy Prosecutor of ICC, Nazhat Shameem Khan, President of Burma Rohingya Organisation UK, Tun Khin, former member of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Amb. Laetitia Van Den Assum, and Gambian Solicitor General, Hussein Thomasi, spoke at the event.
Read more: ‘US glad over beginning resettlement programme for Rohingya refugees’
Ambassador Hamidullah said that in securing a lasting solution within the new federal structure of Myanmar, issues relating to the Rohingya people as also other ethnic minorities in Myanmar merit attention in inclusive and transparent ways.
As the regional grouping, civil society actors, think-tank, academia within ASEAN region need to look at situation in Myanmar to ensure the region's collective stability and prosperity.
Aside from humanitarian assistance, political solutions should be equally in focus, he added.
The Rohingya leader Thun Khin appreciated Bangladesh for hosting Rohingya and in their fight for justice for the Rohingya.
He shared the significance of universal jurisdiction and an investigation in an Argentine Court a key step in securing justice for the Rohingyas. He also urged more countries to consider such cases.
Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Khan shared the progress on investigation on the ICC Case inquiring war crimes against Rohingyas.
The Gambian Solicitor General said that The Gambia itself had been a victim of two decades of authoritarian rule and thus valued the Rohingya issue in initiating the procedure at the ICJ as a member of the Genocide Convention.
Read more: US working to increase resettlement of Rohingyas from Bangladesh: Blinken
Ambassador Laetitia Assum said that the ground situation in Myanmar continues to escalate since the military coup two years ago.
She viewed that as most ASEAN countries do not share a border with Myanmar, they do not sufficiently understand the burden on the neighboring countries.
Japan will continue to work toward resolution of Rohingya issue: Ambassador
Outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has said he sincerely hopes that the "safe, voluntary and dignified" repatriation to Myanmar will happen soon.
"As the crisis is turning into its sixth year, it is essential to keep the attention of the global community, while multiple emergencies have been taking place in different parts of the world," he said.
The envoy said Japan will continue to work toward the resolution of the Rohingya issue.
Read more: Momen ‘not worried’ about Japanese Ambassador’s remarks, calls him a ‘simple, good person’
He said education, skills development and livelihood opportunities are the critical areas of responses for the resilience of the Rohingyas.
Ambassador Naoki had an official visit to the camp in Cox's Bazar on Thursday, where over 920,000 Rohingyas reside.
Witnessing the ongoing activities in the field, he said, "Every time I visit Rohingya camps, I am impressed by the tireless work of the UN agencies and NGOs for assisting the refugees. This is my last visit to the camp before leaving this country, but I will continue to extend my thoughts and empathy to the government of Bangladesh, Rohingya refugees and host communities."
Read more: Japan, UNFPA join hands to provide $3.7 million assistance to Rihingyas in Bhasan Char, host communities in Noakhali
He visited an E-voucher outlet and Upcycling Center of WFP, a Learning Center of UNICEF, a skill development site of UNHCR, where Rohingya refugees produce hygiene kits under the collaboration of Japanese company Fast Retailing and UNHCR, and the office of RRRC.
Ambassador Naoki also observed the protection and camp management activities of IOM as well as sustainable land management and environmental rehabilitation project of UNHCR.
Since the large influx in August 2017, Japan has contributed over 175 million USD to various interventions in Cox's Bazar as well as in Bhasan Char through international organizations and NGOs, according to the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka.
These assistances included food assistance, healthcare, WASH, shelter, protection, and gender.
Bangladesh, Myanmar agree to share prior info on use of airspace near border
Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to share prior information on any flying of drones/aircrafts/helicopters at the border of the two close neighboring countries to avoid misunderstandings and any untoward situation.
Besides, they also decided to exchange information about any incident of firing/shooting/explosion/ movement of security forces at the border.
The decisions were taken during the 8th Senior Level Border Conference between the respective border security forces, the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) and Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) held at Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar, that ended with the signing of Joint Records of Discussion (JRD) on November 27.
Major General Shakil Ahmed, Director General (DG) of Border Guard Bangladesh, who led a 10-member delegation at the border conference, revealed it at a press briefing at BGB headquarters here on Tuesday.
Briefing reporters, Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed said that they have taken up the issue of some incidents of airspace violations along the border during the conference. "We also requested our counterpart to share prior information if they need to fly a drone or a chopper in the border area," he said.
After discussion, both BGB and BGP agreed to maintain the border norms and practices and to share information with each other about any incident of firing/shooting/explosion/ movement of security forces at the border including early information of any flying of drones/aircrafts/helicopters to avoid misunderstanding and untoward situation.
The Myanmar side took note of the concerns of Bangladesh on the issues of landmine and electrification of the border fence.
During the border conference, the DG BGB expressed his grave concern over the ongoing unstable security situation in close proximity to the international boundary inside Myanmar and urged the BGP to adopt necessary measures in arresting the situation.
Read more: BGB-BGP flag meeting ends with Myanmar officially regretting border incidents
He also highlighted the need for joint efforts of both forces in curbing the drugs and narcotics inflow to Bangladesh from Myanmar and combating different trans-national crimes including illegal border crossing and sought cooperation from BGP.
The DG BGB also reiterated the national concern about the early repatriation of the Rohingyas, officially referred to as Displaced Myanmar Nationals from Rakhine temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh and solicited appropriate endeavors from the Myanmar side to that end.
Recognizing the significance of information sharing to maintain peace and law enforcement in the border areas, both sides agreed to share information by various means on a timely basis between the designated contact points at various levels.
Both sides also agreed to collaborate with each other actively and effectively to prevent the activities of trans-border criminal gangs by sharing real-time information.
Besides, the conference also agreed that Bangladesh will maintain a 'Zero Tolerance' policy with all-out efforts to prevent illicit drugs and psychotropic substances especially Yaba and Crystal Meth ICE trafficking along the border and the Myanmar side will continue anti-drugs measures following its national drug control policy. Based upon the local situation, both sides agreed to arrange a seminar/symposium about the negative impact of drugs to facilitate public awareness amongst the bordering people, he said.
Both sides also agreed to work jointly to improve the present border situation through information sharing and informing respective appropriate agencies/authorities and pursue to keep the border stable and peaceful for bordering people.
Read more: BGB wide awake along border with Myanmar: DG
Police Major General Aung Naing Thu, Deputy Chief of Myanmar Police Force (MPF), who led a 15-member Myanmar delegation in the conference, emphasized Myanmar's adherence to the Border Agreement-1980 and he urged to enhance bilateral cooperation in combating illicit drugs and psychotropic substances and to prevent illegal border crossing.
He also urged to resume coordinated patrols between the two guarding forces to counter the potential threats posed by terrorist groups along the border, relayed the DG BGB.
Restoration of democracy in Myanmar is crucial for ‘sustainable’ repatriation of Rohingya, says Japan
Japan is banking on restoration of democracy in Myanmar for the sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh.
“Sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingya would be possible after the resumption of democracy in Myanmar,” visiting Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs TAKEI Shunsuke.
He said this while calling on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the reporters after the meeting.
He said that the Japanese state minister for foreign affairs said Japan supports Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue.
In reply, the PM said Japan can talk with Myanmar over Rohingya repatriation.
He said that it is required to wait for democracy for sustainable repatriation of Rohingya.
Sheikh Hasina said Rohingya have become a heavy burden as five years have already elapsed since they took shelter in Bangladesh in 2017.
She said the Rohingya population is increasing.
The PM said that the biggest challenge is that many of the Rohingya are involved in drug and arms trafficking.
She also said that Rohingya groups are fighting and killing each other.
She reiterated her call that Myanmar should take back Rohingya who are their own people.
Hasina described the relations between Bangladesh and Japan as wonderful and said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had laid the foundation of the relationship.
“The relations between Japan and Bangladesh have been growing,” she said.
The PM recalled the contribution of Japan with due respect during the War of Liberation and in rebuilding the war-ravaged Bangladesh soon after independence.
Read more: Myanmar situation doesn't allow full-scale Rohingya repatriation now: Japan
She also recalled the Japanese cooperation in Bangladesh’s development efforts.
“They are still working in Bangladesh’s various development projects including the Matharbari and third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport,” she said.
She described late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a “great friend of Bangladesh”.
Japanese state minister said, “Japan feels proud being a development partner of Bangladesh. Japan will continue assisting Bangladesh in development efforts.”
He said that he visited Bangladesh five years ago and became astonished with its huge development in the last five years under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Hasina.
Read more: Japan, UNFPA join hands to provide $3.7 million assistance to Rihingyas in Bhasan Char, host communities in Noakhali
TAKEI Shunsuke said the Japan government is carrying forward the comprehensive partnership of Japan and Bangladesh launched in 2014 by Japanese late Prime Minister Abe and Hasina.
He said the operation of flight between Dhaka to Tokyo marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh will promote connectivity in the days to come.
PM’s Ambassador-at-large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki were present among others.
Indian foreign secretary cements support for Myanmar’s development during visit
Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has reiterated India’s commitment to continue with the projects under the Rakhine State development programme, and border area development programme for the benefit of the people of Myanmar.
He paid a working visit to Myanmar from November 20-21, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Read more: "Bangladesh-India are connected through the heart"
During his meetings with the senior leadership of Myanmar, the Foreign Secretary discussed maintenance of security and stability in the border areas of India and Myanmar.
He raised the issue of human trafficking by international crime syndicates in the Myawaddy area of Myanmar in which many Indian nationals have been caught and reviewed bilateral development cooperation projects.
The Foreign Secretary expressed India's continued support to people-centric socio-economic developmental projects, including those along the India-Myanmar border areas, as well as India’s commitment towards an expeditious implementation of ongoing connectivity initiatives such as the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project and the Trilateral Highway.
Read more: Diplomatic double standards: The Bangladesh case
Myanmar releasing 4 foreigners in broad prisoner amnesty
Myanmar's military-controlled government announced Thursday it was releasing and deporting an Australian academic, a Japanese filmmaker, an ex-British diplomat and an American as part of a broad prisoner amnesty to mark the country’s National Victory Day.
Australian Sean Turnell, Japan's Toru Kubota, Briton Vicky Bowman, and American Kyaw Htay Oo, as well as 11 local Myanmar celebrities, were among a total of 5,774 prisoners who were being released, Myanmar's state-run MRTV reported.
The imprisonment of the foreign nationals had been a source of friction between Myanmar's leaders and their home governments, which had been lobbying for their release.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, 16,232 people have been detained on political charges in Myanmar since the army ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year.
Of those arrested, 13,015 were still in detention as of Wednesday, the AAPP reported. Additionally, at least 2,465 civilians have been killed by security forces in the same period, the group says, though the number is thought to be far higher.
Amnesty International Australia's Tim O'Connor welcomed the decision to release Turnell, saying like many others, he should never have been arrested or jailed.
UN adopts resolution on human rights of Rohingya, other minorities in Myanmar
“Amnesty continues to call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained for peacefully exercising their human rights," he said. “Thousands of people jailed since the coup in Myanmar have done nothing wrong.”
Japan's Foreign Ministry confirmed they had been informed of Myanmar's plans to release Kubota, but had no further details, other than that the 26-year-old Tokyo-based documentary filmmaker was reportedly in good health.
Britain's embassy in Yangon said Bowman had not yet been released from prison. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong tweeted that she welcomed reports of Turnell being released, but would not comment further for the time being, and the U.S. Embassy in Yangon referred queries to Washington.
Turnell, 58, an associate professor in economics at Sydney’s Macquarie University who had been serving as an advisor to Suu Kyi, was arrested by security forces at a hotel in Yangon just days after last year's military takeover. He was sentenced in September to three years in prison for violating the country’s official secrets law and immigration law. Suu Kyi and three of her former Cabinet members were convicted in the same trial, which was held in a closed court, with their lawyers barred by a gag order from taking about the proceedings.
Fellow Australian economist Tim Harcourt said in an email he was delighted to hear of his longtime friend Sean Turnell's release.
He thanked the Australian government, activists and Turnell's friends and colleagues who had lobbied for his release and said he was looking forward to him returning home to Sydney.
“It’s a great relief to his wonderful wife Ha, his sister and father and all the family," Harcourt said.
“Sean’s heart was with the people of Myanmar to help lift them about of poverty and help Myanmar reach its economic potential. He should never have been imprisoned for doing his professional duty as an economist involved in development economics,” he said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the takeover, which led to nationwide protests that the military government quashed with deadly force, triggering armed resistance that some U.N. experts now characterize as civil war.
Kubota was arrested July 30 by plainclothes police in Yangon after taking images and videos of a small flash protest against the military. He was convicted last month by the prison court of incitement for participating in the protest and other charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Since seizing power, the military has cracked down on the coverage of protests, raided media companies, detained dozens of journalists and revoked the licenses of at least a dozen outlets.
Most of those detained are being held on the incitement charge for allegedly causing fear, spreading false news, or agitating against a government employee.
Some of the closed media outlets have continued operating without a license and many Myanmar journalists are working underground, moving from one safe house to another, hiding in remote border regions, or basing themselves in exile.
Kubota was the fifth foreign journalist detained in Myanmar after the military seized power. U.S. citizens Nathan Maung and Danny Fenster, who worked for local publications, and freelancers Robert Bociaga of Poland and Yuki Kitazumi of Japan were eventually deported before having to serve full prison sentences.
Bowman, 56, a former British ambassador to Myanmar who had been running a business consultancy, was arrested with her husband, a Myanmar national, in Yangon in August. She was given a one-year prison term in September by the prison count for failing to register her residence.
Kyaw Htay Oo, a naturalized American, returned to Myanmar, the country of his birth, in 2017, according to media reports. He was arrested in September 2021 on terrorism charges and has been in custody ever since.
Myanmar did not release many details of the other prisoners who were being freed, but almost all would have been being held on charges related to the protests, including Section 505(A) of Myanmar’s penal code, which makes it a crime to spread comments that create public unrest or fear or spread false news, and carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.
Among those released were also Kyaw Tint Swe, a former union minister for the office of the State Counsellor, Than Htay, a former member of the Union Election Commission and Lae Lae Maw, a former Chief Minister of Tanintharyi Region who had been jailed for 30 years for corruption since 2020 under Suu Kyi’s government, MRTV announced.
Myanmar says “will not be bound by outcomes” of latest ASEAN meeting
Southeast Asian foreign ministers acknowledged Thursday that their efforts to bring peace to Myanmar haven't succeeded and agreed to increase their determination to end violence in the country, where a military takeover last year set off a crisis that threatens to destabilize the region.
Recent events in Myanmar, including a military air strike on Sunday that reportedly killed as many as 80 members of the Kachin ethnic minority and the execution of political prisoners in July, have heightened worries among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
At a special meeting on Myanmar in Jakarta, Indonesia, ASEAN foreign ministers said their efforts haven't achieved significant progress and called for “concrete, practical and time-bound actions” to strengthen the implementation of a five-point consensus the group reached in April last year on ways to seek peace.
Read more: ‘Without accountability, political transition in Myanmar won’t fix Rohingya issue’
ASEAN, which includes Myanmar, has tried to play a peacemaking role since shortly after the country’s military seized power in February last year, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The five-point consensus calls for the immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue among concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.
Myanmar’s government initially agreed to the consensus but has made little effort to implement it, aside from seeking humanitarian aid and allowing ASEAN's envoy, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, to visit. But it refused to allow him to meet with Suu Kyi, who was arrested and is being tried on a variety of charges that critics say are contrived to sideline her from politics.
In response, ASEAN has not allowed Myanmar’s leaders to participate in its official meetings, though working-level officials have joined some.
“The meeting agreed that ASEAN should not be discouraged, but even more determined to help Myanmar to bring about a peaceful solution the soonest possible,” Prak Sokhonn, who chaired the meeting, said in a statement.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the ministers expressed their concern and disappointment, and in some cases frustration, with the lack of significant progress in the implementation of the consensus. “Instead of progressing, the situation was even said to be deteriorating and worsening,” she said.
“The acts of violence once again must stop immediately,” Marsudi said. “Without a cessation of violence, there will be no conducive conditions for the resolution of this political crisis.”
Read more: Locals in dread as firing inside Myanmar rocks Naikhongchhari
A statement issued late Thursday night by Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry said it “will not be bound by the outcomes of the meeting” because it was held by the other nine ASEAN countries without Myanmar’s attendance.
It insisted that Myanmar’s military government has been implementing the five-point roadmap by cooperating with ASEAN’s special envoy, holding peace talks with ethnic rebel groups and providing humanitarian assistance.
Thursday’s meeting came ahead of ASEAN’s annual summit on Nov. 11-13, where a top focus of the leaders will be the Myanmar crisis, which has threatened the group’s unity. ASEAN members traditionally avoid criticizing each other, and the violence unleashed by Myanmar’s military is widely seen as exposing the group’s powerlessness in dealing with a geopolitical and humanitarian emergency that could affect all of them.
Growing numbers of refugees are fleeing Myanmar and seeking asylum throughout the region.
The U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch said an estimated 70,000 have fled to neighboring countries since the military took power and urged Southeast Asian leaders to ensure their governments don’t force people back to Myanmar.
“Rather than protecting asylum seekers from the junta’s violence and persecution, regional actors are forcing Myanmar refugees and other nationals back into harm’s way,” said Shayna Bauchner, a researcher for the group.
Malaysian authorities reportedly have accelerated deportations to Myanmar, returning over 2,000 people since April without allowing the United Nations refugee agency to assess their asylum claims, while Thai authorities have pushed asylum seekers back across the Myanmar border without verifying their protection needs, Human Rights Watch said.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
30 families moved from Dochari, Gumdhum amid sound and fury inside Myanmar
In the face of continuous gunfire and mortar shelling inside Myanmar close to the Bangladesh border for six hours on Saturday, local authorities have evacuated 30 families in Dochari and Ghumdhum unions of Bandarban's Naikhongchhari upazila.
The sound and fury on the Myanmar side of the international border, where the Myanmar army is engaged in fighting a well-resourced insurgency forged by the Arakan Army, started again today, after a week's lull.
Firing resumed on the Myanmar side of Bangladesh's border – from Dochari to Ghumdhum union – at 1pm and continued till 6:30pm, gripping the locals with fear.
Gunshots and explosions have often been heard in the border areas for a few months as the country's military has clashed with separatist groups.
Md Rahman, a local of Dochari union's Jamchhari, said the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed organisation based in Rakhine state, had stopped taking up positions near the border for a long time, instead operating deep inside Myanmar. "But over the past week, the Arakan Army has positioned itself closer to the border."
Naikhongchhari Sadar union parishad chairman Nurul Absar Imon, who is now in Jamchhari, said: "For several days, there was no firing in the area but it suddenly started again at 1pm today and continued till 6:30pm, sending a panic wave among the locals."
"At least 15 rounds of stray bullets from Myanmar landed in Bangladesh. Thirty families whose houses are too close to the border were evacuated to safety amid heavy shelling and firing inside Myanmar. And there was no casualty inside Bangladesh," Imon added.
Myanmar’s military govt ‘willing to take back Rohingyas’ after verification: Momen
The current military government of Myanmar has agreed to honour all the previous agreements signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar, and has conveyed willingness to take back Rohingyas after verification, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said today.
“That’s good news, but there is no specific date (for the repatriation to begin),” Momen said.
The foreign minister also said that the Chinese side is yet come up with good news on Rohingya repatriation but they are continuing their efforts to that end. He was talking to reporters after his meeting with Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming.
Read: Rohingya repatriation: Dhaka may seek updates on Beijing's efforts
“My discussion (with the Chinese ambassador) today focused on Myanmar and the Rohingya issues,” Momen said.
The hour-long meeting was held at the State Guesthouse Padma. The foreign minister briefed media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later.
Momen said, “They (China) are facilitators, not decision-makers. We are requesting them again and again.”
The foreign minister said Rohingyas are a priority issue for Bangladesh. “We need a quick and sustainable solution to the crisis.”
Read: Momen seeks Kuwaiti, Iranian support on Rohingya issue
Responding to a question, Momen said there has been no discussion on the Teesta issue with the Chinese ambassador. “I said this issue was never raised to me.”
Momen said he has conveyed to the ambassador that China should play a role so that Rohingyas living on ‘zero point’ can be taken back to the Myanmar side.
He said the situation along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border has improved, which he sees as “good development”.
Momen sees Rohingya repatriation as a “new assignment”.
Read What PM said on Russia-Ukraine war, Rohingya issue, climate action, terrorism at 77th UNGA
Suu Kyi’s jail term extended to 26 years on graft charges
A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on two more corruption charges Wednesday, with two three-year sentences to be served concurrently, adding to previous convictions that now leave her with a 26-year total prison term, a legal official said.
Suu Kyi, 77, was detained on Feb. 1, 2021, when the military seized power from her elected government. She has denied the allegations against her in this case, in which she was accused of receiving $550,000 as a bribe from Maung Weik, a tycoon convicted of drug trafficking.
Corruption cases comprise the biggest share of the many charges the military has brought against the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate. Suu Kyi has been charged with 12 counts in total under the Anti-Corruption Act, with each count punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine.
Suu Kyi had already been sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country’s official secrets act, sedition, election fraud and five corruption charges.
Her supporters and independent analysts say the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to discredit her and legitimize the military’s seizure of power while keeping her from taking part in the next election, which the military has promised in 2023.
In recent months, her trials have been held in a purpose-built courtroom in the main prison on the outskirts of the capital, Naypyitaw. She has not been seen or allowed to speak in public since she was arrested and her lawyers, who had been a source of information on the proceedings, have not been allowed to speak publicly on her behalf or about her trial since a gag order was placed on them last year.
In the case decided Wednesday, Suu Kyi was accused of receiving a total of $550,000 in 2019 and 2020 from Maung Weik, with separate payments being treated as two offenses.
Maung Weik, a construction magnate, had a close relationship with the army generals in power during a previous military-run government, and has headed two main companies during three decades in business: Maung Weik & Family Co. Ltd., specializing in the trading of metals and agricultural products, and Sae Paing Development Ltd., a real estate and construction company.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2008 for trafficking drugs but was released in 2014 under a semi-democratic transitional government led by former General Thein Sein.
After his release from prison, Maung Weik returned to doing business with former generals and according to a 2017 report in The Irrawaddy, an online news magazine, became chairman of Mandalay Business Capital City Development, which was involved in urban development work.
Under Suu Kyi’s government, Maung Weik won a major development project that included the construction of houses, restaurants, hospitals, economic zones, a port and hotel zones in Myanmar’s central Mandalay region.
He was reportedly interrogated by the army two weeks after its takeover last year, and shortly after that, in March 2021, military-controlled state television broadcast a video in which he claimed to have given cash payoffs to government ministers to help his businesses.
He said in his video that the money included $100,000 provided to Suu Kyi in 2018 for a charitable foundation named after her mother, and another $450,000 in payments in 2019 and 2020 for purposes he did not specify.
A state-controlled newspaper, the Global New Light of Myanmar, reported in February that Suu Kyi in her position as state counselor — the country’s de facto chief executive — received $550,000 in four installments in 2019-2020 “to facilitate the business activities of a private entrepreneur.”
Suu Kyi’s close colleague, Zaw Myint Maung, who served as a chief minister in the Mandalay region, was separately accused of receiving more than $180,000 from Maung Weik and was convicted of corruption in June.
Wednesday’s verdict sentencing Suu Kyi to two three-year sentences to be served concurrently was conveyed by a legal official who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by the authorities.
He added that her lawyers are expected to file an appeal in the coming days.
In separate proceedings, Suu Kyi is still being tried together with the country’s former president, Win Myint, on another five corruption charges in connection with permits granted to a Cabinet minister for the rental and purchase of a helicopter.
Suu Kyi has been the face of the opposition to military rule in Myanmar for more than three decades. The previous military government put her under house arrest in 1989, which continued on-and-off for 15 of the next 22 years.
Her National League for Democracy party initially came to power after winning the 2015 general election, ushering in a true civilian government for the first time since a 1962 military coup. However, democratic reforms were small and slow in coming, largely because the military retained substantial power and influence under the terms of a constitution it had enacted in 2008.
The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory again in the 2020 election, but its lawmakers were kept from taking their seats in Parliament by the army, which also arrested the party’s top leaders.
The army said it acted because there had been massive voting fraud in the 2020 election, but independent election observers did not find any major irregularities.
The 2021 takeover was met by nationwide peaceful protests that security forces quashed with deadly force, triggering fierce armed resistance that some U.N. experts now characterize as civil war.
According to a detailed list compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group now based in Thailand, Myanmar security forces have killed at least 2,343 civilians and arrested 15,821.