Myanmar woman arrested for Suu Kyi ‘happy birthday' post: local media
Published on: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Published on: Tue, Jun 24, 2025
By: AFP Text Size: Suu Kyi was the figurehead of Myanmar's decade-long democratic thaw, becoming de facto leader as it opened up from military rule, but she has been incarcerated since February 2021 when the generals snatched back power in a coup. - AP pic YANGON: A Myanmar woman arrested by the junta for 'spreading propaganda' is being detained over a Facebook post celebrating the 80th birthday of jailed democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, local media said. Suu Kyi was the figurehead of Myanmar's decade-long democratic thaw, becoming de facto leader as it opened up from military rule, but she has been incarcerated since February 2021 when the generals snatched back power in a coup. She is serving a 27-year sentence on charges rights groups dismiss as fabricated and on Thursday marked her birthday behind bars while her son urged followers to publish messages declaring their support. Myanmar's junta said in a statement over the weekend it had arrested two Facebook users for 'inciting and spreading propaganda on social media with the intention to destroy state stability'. One of those detained -- Hinn Yin Phyu -- was arrested at accommodation for employees of state media station MRTV in the capital Naypyidaw on Saturday, the statement said, without providing details of her posts. The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) reported on Monday that Hinn Yin Phyu was an MRTV employee who had been arrested after posting a 'happy birthday' message for Suu Kyi, citing sources close to the detained woman.
Advertisement 'May you live long and be free from illness, may you be free from the suffering caused by separation from your loved ones throughout your life, and may you only meet good people,' said the now-deleted post, according to DVB. Despite being blocked in a digital crackdown accompanying the coup, Facebook remains Myanmar's most popular social media platform. State notices announcing arrests over social media use are commonplace but usually provide scant detail of alleged transgressions. A spokesman for Myanmar's junta could not be reached for comment on the arrest. Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize as she refused to enter exile to escape her first period of incarceration by Myanmar's military. As she guided the country through its democratic interlude her reputation was tarnished on the international stage after she defended the military for their crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority. When the generals toppled her government it sparked a protest movement that security forces swiftly crushed in the streets. Since then the country has descended into civil war as pro-democracy activists formed guerrilla units to fight back, alongside ethnic armed organisations that have been battling the military in Myanmar's fringes for decades. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
Backers of Brazil's Bolsonaro hold mass protest in Sao Paulo
SAO PAULO: Former president Jair Bolsonaro said Sunday he was prepared to 'change Brazil's destiny' as he addressed thousands of supporters in Sao Paulo, even while facing decades in prison for allegedly attempting a coup. The divisive far-right figure called for the demonstration on a major thoroughfare of South America's largest metropolis, seeking 'justice' as he battles the charges. 'Those who accuse me may have many trump cards up their sleeves, but I have three things on my side that they don't have: God, freedom and the support of a large part of the Brazilian population,' Bolsonaro told the crowd, many of whom were clad in the green-and-yellow of the Brazilian flag. The former president has called for several demonstrations since the start of the legal proceedings against him, and attendance has dwindled in recent months. The University of Sao Paulo estimated about 12,400 people took part in Sunday's gathering on Paulista Avenue, a sharp drop from the 45,000 who took part in April and the 185,000 estimated to have marched for Bolsonaro in February. The former army captain dreams of emulating Donald Trump's return to the White House, despite being banned from holding public office until 2030 over his attacks on Brazil's electronic voting system. Bolsonaro nevertheless spoke of next year's general elections, placing particular emphasis on the legislative ones. 'Give me 50 percent of the deputies and senators, and I'll change Brazil's destiny,' boomed Bolsonaro, wearing a blue tracksuit as he addressed cheering supporters. Unlike on previous occasions, the 70-year-old did not explicitly present himself as the conservative camp's candidate for the 2026 presidential elections. 'I'm not obsessed with power, I'm in love with my country,' he said. 'I don't need to be the president,' he added. 'If I remain honorary president of my party, we can do what you want.' 'Whatever he wants' The demonstration follows a hectic several weeks for the embattled ex-leader. During a key phase in his Supreme Court trial earlier this month, he denied involvement in an alleged coup plot to wrest back power after leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly beat him at the ballot box in October 2022. The prosecutor's office said the plot, which envisaged the assassination of Lula and other authorities, failed to materialize due to lack of support from the senior military command. Bolsonaro has rejected any wrongdoing, and he did so again Sunday, claiming the cases are politically motivated to prevent him from making a comeback in the 2026 elections. 'They did the same thing with me as with Marine Le Pen,' he told AFP, referring to the French far-right leader who was convicted of embezzlement in March and barred from running in elections for five years. On Sunday, Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, tipped as a potential candidate to represent the conservatives in the 2026 presidential election, offered full-throated support for Bolsonaro, calling him 'the greatest leader in the history' of the country. President Lula -- whose popularity remains low -- has yet to announce whether or not he will run for another term. Valdemar Costa Neto, president of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL), said it was time the party beefed up its political ground game. 'Bolsonaro must be present at this type of demonstration to show the judiciary that the people are with him,' the leader said. 'As long as he's honorary president of the PL, we'll do whatever he wants, because the votes belong to him.' Some bystanders were unimpressed by the pro-Bolsonaro protest. 'This guy, who wanted to blow up Brasilia and kill his political opponent, should go to prison,' said Dionisio Teixeira, a record seller on Paulista Avenue, which on Sundays is transformed into a pedestrian zone. 'I don't know how people can still come here to defend him.' On January 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonarists took over power centers in the Brazilian capital and demanded a military intervention to oust Lula from power one week after his inauguration.
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Togo groups say recent protests left 7 dead
LOME: At least seven people were killed and many others wounded during recent anti-government protests in the Togolese capital Lome, according to an initial count civic groups gave journalists Sunday. Campaigning groups and rights organisations denounced 'abuses committed by members of the Togolese security forces and militias', and said seven bodies had been recovered from rivers in the capital. They also reported 'dozens of wounded' and 'more than 60 arrests during the three days of demonstrations held from Thursday to Saturday. The Togolese authorities, who have yet to provide an official toll from the recent protests, on Sunday denied the deaths were linked to the unrest. 'Forensic analysis revealed that these deaths occurred as a result of drowning,' the government said in a statement, without commenting on the number of bodies recovered. 'I would like to congratulate our fellow citizens for their good behaviour and also the professionalism of our security forces, and above all, to reassure them that the government will take all necessary measures to protect Togolese citizens,' Hodabalo Awate, minister of territorial administration, said on state television Sunday evening. 'Unacceptable' Earlier, David Dosseh of 'Front Citoyen Togo Debout' told AFP that 'we are in a country where citizens still have the right to go out, to express themselves.' 'They should not face this state-imposed brutality, it is unacceptable,' he added. 'We are not animals, we are sons of this country, and as sons and citizens of this country, the Constitution gives us the right to express ourselves and to demonstrate peacefully.' Protests are rare in Togo, where President Faure Gnassingbe has maintained his grip on power since 2005, succeeding his father who ruled for nearly four decades. But on Thursday morning, small pockets of up to dozens of protesters blocked streets, burned tyres and wooden barricades in the capital, where many businesses remained closed. People have been protesting against a crackdown on critical voices, rising electricity prices and a constitutional reform that allowed Gnassingbe, now 59, to further consolidate his power. On June 5 and 6, police arrested about 50 protesters, mainly young people. Most have since been released but Amnesty International has denounced cases of alleged 'torture'. The government responded that it had not been officially informed of such abuses and condemned protesters' 'clear will to sow disorder and chaos'. In mid-June, Togo blocked France 24 television and Radio France Internationale for three months, accusing the outlets of having relayed 'inaccurate and biased statements' following the early June protests.
Daily Express
32 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Sabah ADUNs, businessman charged over RM350,000 in mineral license bribery case
Published on: Monday, June 30, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jun 30, 2025 By: Cynthia D Baga Text Size: Dr Yusof sits in the middle (left) and Tei (right) - pic by Cynthia D Baga/Daily Express KOTA KINABALU: Two Sabah assemblymen, Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy and Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob, along with a businessman from Selangor, were charged with corruption involving RM350,000 linked to mineral exploration licence applications in the state. Andi, 44, the Tanjung Batu assemblyman and assistant Minister of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship, and Dr Yusof, 69, the Sindumin Assemblyman, along with businessman Datuk Tei Jiann Cheing, 37, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read before Sessions Court Judge Jason Juga. According to the charges, Andi and Yusof allegedly received bribes from Tei as inducement to facilitate applications by two companies, Syarikat Nusa Kini Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Sinaran Hayat Sdn Bhd, owned by Tei's business partners, for mineral exploration licences in Sabah. Tei faces two charges for allegedly offering the bribes to the two assemblymen for the same purpose. Andi and Yusof were charged under Section 16A(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
