Myanmar Military Arrests Political Figure Of Aung San Suu Kyi’s Party

Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters protest. (Wikimedia Commons / Syced)

JAKARTA - Another high-ranking political figure from the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy (NLD), was arrested by Myanmar's military rulers. This time it is the senior figure U Win Htein's turn, who is also Suu Kyi's colleague.

The arrest of U Win was carried out by the Myanmar Police. The charge against him was sedition. According to the family, he was arrested in the middle even after returning from Naypyitaw.

U Win, who was not healthy and was 80 years old, was then detained at the Ouattara Police Office.

"They said he was charged under Article 124 (a) of the criminal law. Article 124 (a) criminalizes incitement, which is defined as an attempt to cause dissatisfaction with the government. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison", explained Ma Chit Su Win Htein. from the family as reported by The Irrawaddy.

It is known that shortly after the military seized power earlier this week, U Win Htein, a former Myanmar military captain turned politician, condemned the coup as a result of Supreme Commander General Min Aung Hlaing's personal ambitions for power.

U Win Htein himself is full of salt and acid, undergoing detention as a political risk of his choosing. Joining the NLD in 1988, that year he already felt the coldness of political prison. He was in the cell from 1989 to 1995.

In 1996, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for giving wrong information to foreign journalists. Free in 2010, he won a Lower House seat in the 2012 by-election.