Adam Simpson,Senior Lecturer, University of South Australia
Nicholas Farrelly,Professor and Head of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania
Laura Hood,Politics Editor, Assistant Edito
June 23, 2021
Soldiers from the People’s Defence Force taking part in training at an undisclosed location in Myanmar. National Unity Government handout/EPA
As Aung San Suu Kyi finally faced court last week to defend herself against a litany of politically motivated charges, Myanmar is continuing its downward spiral into state failure.
Suu Kyi was arrested following the February 1 coup by the military and charged with alleged corruption, inciting public unrest and other offences. If she is found guilty, which is a near certainty, she may well be imprisoned for the rest of her life.
The popularity of Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party have been consistently underestimated by a range of domestic and international analysts, and even by the Myanmar military itself. But her role will now change as her case takes a stop-start journey through the tightly held and persistently manipulated judicial process.