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https://theconversation.com/myanmar-junta-reducing-aung-san-suu-kyis-sentence-is-an-empty-gesture-from-a-failing-state-210809>
"In a general amnesty announced on military television last week, Myanmar’s
military junta removed six years from the jail term of Aung San Suu Kyi, the
78-year-old leader of the government removed by a coup in February 2021. This
came a week after the junta moved her into house arrest following a year in
solitary confinement.
But it still leaves Aung San Suu Kyi facing a 27-year jail term on bogus
charges.
The junta also lopped four years off former president Win Myint’s sentence, and
reportedly released more than 7,000 other prisoners.
But we shouldn’t be persuaded that the junta has changed its stripes. It
regularly uses mass amnesties in attempts to cultivate goodwill, either at home
or abroad. But any major figures released in these amnesties shouldn’t have
been locked up in the first place.
The day before the amnesty, the junta extended its state of emergency for a
fourth time, further delaying elections, due to relentless opposition to its
February 2021 coup.
The coup sparked ongoing and widespread violence, and shredded the military’s
last claims to social esteem. This has left Myanmar impoverished, largely
friendless, and without any clear plan for a positive future."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
