The construction magnate from Myanmar spoke in a shaky monotone, quickly cut and occasionally slurped into the air. He said he had handed over a total of $ 550,000 over the past few years to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader of Myanmar, who was ousted in a military coup last month.
On two occasions, he provided $ 100,000 and $ 150,000, the businessman said in a confession statement on a military television network on Wednesday night. In the English captions, the money was handed over in a ‘black envelope’. In Burmese, the description was that he offered the money, which was meant to improve his business ties, in a paper gift bag.
Either way, the envelope or gift bag would have been very large to hold so much cash.
The television statement by U Maung Weik, a military accomplice who was once in prison for drug dealing, appears to be the latest act in a complex planned attempt to charge Ms Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ahead of the November election, an online campaign reinforced by pro-military groups has raised a number of unsubstantiated allegations against the civilian leader, who has shared power with the military for five years. After her party achieved a major victory, the military-linked forces increased their attacks on her and called her corrupt and under the influence of foreigners.
When the army held its coup on February 1, security forces detained individuals who had been named key members of a foreign conspiracy months earlier, blessed by Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, to destabilize Myanmar. The chronology indicates a well-planned attempt to liberate the country from its most beloved leader.
“We have seen how they have been trying to arrest Daw Aung San Suu Kyi since the election,” said U Khin Maung Zaw, her lawyer. He could not see his client, nor did he get power of attorney so that he could formally handle her legal cases.
A few days before the November polls, the coordinated attacks on social media accused Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and her ruling National League for Democracy of illegally profiting from foreign funding. If the National Alliance for Democracy is found guilty of being tainted by foreign influence, the party could be disbanded, neutralizing the most popular political power in Myanmar’s history.
The targeted campaign – spread on Facebook, YouTube, a custom-made website and fraudulent emails sharing similar trademarks and cross-messages – implies that a cabal of Western interests is working with the National League for Democracy around the election to steal and promote the government in Myanmar. . The digital website was developed from a directory named after the People’s Party of the Army.
Most important among the alleged plotters was George Soros, the American philanthropist whose Open Society Foundation promotes democracy worldwide.
One of the posts before the election claims that the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a charity founded in the name of Aung San Suu Kyi’s mother, secretly worked with the Open Society Foundation to destabilize Myanmar.
The implications of the attack on social media have become clearer this month. Mr. Maung Weik, the construction magnate, claimed in the television broadcast on wednesday that he donated money to the charity. Last week, the army called me. Aung San Suu Kyi is accused of giving away money from the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation. At least two of the charity’s employees have been detained in recent weeks.
On Monday, the same military-controlled television network that broadcast Maung Weik’s broadcast announced that arrest warrants had been issued for 11 Open Society Myanmar employees for aiding the protest movement against state capture, including illegal banking transactions. The financial manager of the group was detained.
Open Society Myanmar denied that he acted illegally by withdrawing money from his own local bank account.
Another pre-election social media attack points fingers at a deputy minister of industry, a deputy minister of finance and an Australian economic adviser to Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who blames them for fraud to control the country. After the army ousted the civilian government last month, all three were arrested.
The takeover of the army caused the tremendous setback of the people of Myanmar. Since the coup, millions of people have protested and participated in labor attacks against the regime.
The military responded with the kind of violence normally reserved for the battlefield. According to attacks on protesters, security forces killed at least 215 people, mostly by shooting, according to a local group demanding political imprisonment and deaths; more than 2,000 people have been detained since the coup for political reasons.
This week, members of a group representing the dissolved parliament are charged with high treason. So did Myanmar’s envoy to the United Nations, who delivered a passionate speech last month in which he denied the army’s power attack.
On Wednesday, the last of the largest independent newspapers in Myanmar was stopped. More than thirty journalists have been detained or pursued since the coup. The country has been losing under the fist of the military for decades, despite democratic reforms introduced in recent years.
Since Aung San Suu Kyi was locked up in a raid on the day of the coup, she has been formally charged with various crimes that could hold her captive for years. The charges include esoteric crimes such as illegal importation of foreign walkie-talkies and violation of coronavirus regulations.
Aung San Suu Kyi has not yet been charged in connection with the accusations of Mr. Maung Weik that he gave her money to improve his business relationship with the civilian government. The military television network said investigators were currently investigating the case.
Last week, the military also accused her of illegally accepting 25 pounds of gold and about $ 600,000. Mr. Maung Weik’s allegations of money transfers are not of this figure.
If charges are instituted in such cases, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, is sentenced to life in prison.
“I believe 100 percent that their accusations against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are unfounded,” said U Aung Kyi Nyunt, a spokesman for the National League for Democracy.
Me. Aung San Suu Kyi’s popularity in Myanmar is far greater than that of the generals who have ruled the country for the past 60 years. She spent 15 years under house arrest and won the Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to violent resistance.
While her international reputation faded after she defended the army’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims, her attraction remained at home. The National League for Democracy’s election performance last year brought about its 2015 landslide. The military called fraud at the ballot box.
Mr. Khin Maung Zaw, lawyer Aung San Suu Kyi, said that by silencing and capturing her, the military government was further burning popularity.
“They should not let Daw Aung San Suu Kyi change from a hero to a martyr,” he said. “If Daw Aung San Suu Kyi becomes a martyr, the strength of the people will never be destroyed, and her martyrdom will become the people’s greatest force.”