Suu Kyi looks healthy, says lawyer

Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in good health in a video meeting on Wednesday, one of her lawyers said, as the U.S. ordered its non-essential Embassy staff to leave after “horrifying” violence against opponents of a coup.

Ms. Suu Kyi, 75, was arrested on February 1, the day the military seized power. She faces charges that include illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching coronavirus protocols.

“Amay looks healthy, her complexion is good,” her lawyer Min Min Soe said, using an affectionate term meaning “mother” to refer to Ms. Suu Kyi.

Only the legal cases against her filed since the coup were discussed during the video conference, the lawyer said.

The military has also accused her of bribery in two recent news conferences.

Her lawyers say the charges were trumped up and dismissed the accusation of bribery as a joke.

The next hearing in her case is on Thursday.

At least 521 civilians have been killed in protests, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Fighting has also flared between the Army and ethnic minority insurgents in frontier regions. Refugees fleeing the turmoil are seeking safety in neighbouring countries.

Thousands of protesters were out again on Wednesday in different parts of the country. Residents in Yangon banged pots and pans and honked their car horns in a clamour of defiance as a news crew from CNN was shown around in what its correspondent said was a heavily armed convoy.

The United States on Tuesday ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and family members due to concern over what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the “increasingly disturbing and even horrifying violence” against demonstrators.