Suu Kyi convicted again, Australian economist gets 3 years
Associated PressBANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in another criminal case Thursday and sentenced Australian economist Sean Turnell to three years in prison for violating Myanmar’s official secrets act, a legal official said. “Please consider the contributions that he has made to Myanmar, and deport him now!” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office rejected the court’s ruling and called for Turnell’s immediate release. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing replied that he “would consider it positively.” The U.N. Special Envoy on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer said she conveyed a specific request from Australia for Turnell’s release when she met with Min Aung Hlaing in August. Myanmar’s government said the general replied that, should the Australian government take positive steps, “we will not need to take stern actions.” According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, 15,683 people have been detained on political charges in Myanmar since the army takeover, with 12,540 of those remaining in detention.