DOT Desk: In order to observe the Buddhist Lent, the Myanmar Junta has partially pardoned Aung San Suu Kyi, the former civilian leader and head of the “National League for Democracy (NLD)” party. This amnesty results in a six-year reduction of Suu Kyi’s 33-year prison sentence. The pardons were a follow-up to Monday’s declaration that the military government is extending the state of emergency for a further six months. The fourth post-coup prolongation will further postpone a staged election that would open the door to a restoration to democratic administration,reports Dhaka Tribune.
Since February 1, 2021, when the military ousted her administration and took control, Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained. She has since been accused of 19 offenses, including sedition, corruption, breaking coronavirus quarantines, and importing and holding walkie-talkies unlawfully.She still faces 14 counts notwithstanding the dismissal of five of them.
It would be absurd to assume that the junta’s partial amnesty represents a serious desire to reach a peaceful settlement with the organizations it has designated as “terrorists” and sworn to violently suppress. It is probably best to see this, like the military’s account of Aung San Suu Kyi’s meeting with Don Pramudwinai earlier this month, in which it claimed that she disavowed the anti-junta resistance and the National Unity Government, as an effort to take advantage of Aung San Suu Kyi’s strong symbolic status in order to win over the public and relieve mounting international pressure.