Government Expresses Concern Over Aung San Suu Kyi's Additional 3-Year Sentence, Urges Release

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Our government has expressed concern over the Myanmar military regime's additional 3-year sentence for former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 30th, "The government expresses concern over the prison sentences given to political detainees, including former State Counsellor Suu Kyi and former advisor to the National League for Democracy (NLD) government Sean Turnell, and urges their release. We once again call for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, the sincere implementation of the five-point consensus agreed upon at the ASEAN Summit, including the start of dialogue among the parties involved, and a swift return to democracy."

The Myanmar military claimed that the November 2020 general election, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Suu Kyi won a landslide victory, was fraudulent, and seized power through a coup on February 1 of last year. The military court sentenced former State Counsellor Suu Kyi and her economic advisor, Australian economist Turnell, to a total of 3 years in prison each on charges of leaking state secrets and violating immigration laws.

Since the coup, Suu Kyi has been consecutively sentenced to prison by the military regime on charges including incitement, violation of COVID-19 quarantine measures, and corruption. With this latest ruling, her total sentence has increased to 23 years.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) reached a five-point consensus at a special summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia, last April, which included the immediate cessation of violence and the initiation of constructive dialogue among all parties to resolve the Myanmar crisis.