COMMENT
Suu Kyi's inconvenient truth and the origins of Myanmar's coup
Charismatic leader has played a complicated role in her country's history
Demonstrators hold up signs during a protest against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon in February 2021. © Reuters
TORU TAKAHASHI, Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Headquarters for Asia
June 1, 2021 18:00 JST
BANGKOK -- It was the first time in four months that the whereabouts of Myanmar's charismatic leader could be confirmed.
The occasion came on May 24, when Aung San Suu Kyi made her first appearance in a courtroom in the capital of Naypyidaw. A photo released by state-run media shows her seated straight-backed and masked alongside Win Myint, who was president in the government that Suu Kyi led as state counselor, and others.
Suu Kyi was detained by the military on Feb. 1 as it staged a coup, charging her with six crimes, including leaking state secrets and illegally importing radio equipment. Conventional court hearings have been held online, and face-to-face meetings with defense lawyers have been prohibited. Before she appeared in court, she was allowed to deliver a message to her National League for Democracy, telling members that "the party was created for the people, and it will continue to exist as long as the people exist."