NAYPYIDAW, MYANMAR (AFP) – Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday voiced defiance as she made her first court appearance since being detained in a coup, vowing her ousted political party would live on.

Myanmar has been in uproar since the February 1 putsch, with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement. More than 800 people have been killed by the military, according to a local monitoring group.

The junta has threatened to dissolve her National League for Democracy (NLD) – which swept elections in 2020 – over alleged voter fraud.

The Nobel laureate – who has not been seen in public since the coup – sounded “healthy and fully confident” during the 30-minute meeting, her lawyer Min Min Soe told AFP.

“She wishes her people to stay healthy as well as affirmed the NLD will exist as long as people exist because it was founded for people.”

Suu Kyi has been hit with a string of criminal charges including flouting coronavirus restrictions during last year’s election campaign and possessing unlicenced walkie-talkies.

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There was a heavy security presence in the capital Naypyidaw, an AFP correspondent said, with the road to the specially constructed courthouse blocked by police trucks.

There have been weeks of delays to Suu Kyi’s legal case and her lawyers have struggled to gain access to her.

The next hearing was set for June 7, Min Min Soe said, adding she had also met with former president Win Myint, who was ousted and detained along with Suu Kyi.

READ MORE: https://aseanews.net/2021/05/26/democracy-freedom-naypyidaw-myanmar-suu-kyi-defiant-in-first-comments-since-february-coup/