PETALING JAYA: Foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah has condemned Myanmar’s junta for sentencing deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to six years in prison.
Reuters reported yesterday that a court in military-ruled Myanmar handed down the sentence after finding Suu Kyi guilty in four corruption cases, after she had already been sentenced to 11 years in prison in other cases.
Suu Kyi has denied all the charges against her.
“The additional sentencing of Suu Kyi and the recent execution of four democracy activists prove that the junta repeatedly disregards calls by Asean leaders for concrete and inclusive dialogue for national reconciliation in Myanmar,” said Saifuddin in a tweet.
Suu Kyi, a 77-year-old Nobel laureate and the figurehead of Myanmar’s opposition to military rule, has been charged with at least 18 offences ranging from corruption to election violations, carrying combined maximum jail terms of nearly 190 years.
Saifuddin said Malaysia stands with the people of Myanmar and supports calls for Suu Kyi’s immediate release.
“This is so that the process of peaceful and inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders, including the country’s National Unity Government (NUG) and National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), can begin,” he said.
He said the junta had failed to fulfil the five-point consensus (5PC) to end the country’s turmoil which was agreed upon at the Asean Leaders Meeting (ALM) in Jakarta in April 2021.
It called for an immediate cessation of violence, holding dialogues with all key stakeholders, the appointment of a special envoy to facilitate mediation, for the delegation to visit and meet with stakeholders in Myanmar, and allowing Asean to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Myanmar.
Myanmar has been in crisis since last year when the military overthrew an elected government led by Suu Kyi’s party, before leading a deadly crackdown on dissent.
Tens of thousands of people have reportedly been jailed and many tortured, beaten or killed, in what the United Nations has called crimes against humanity.
