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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 26 July 2023
Myanmar’s military plans to move Suu Kyi to house arrest

By GRANT PECK States, have imposed sanc-
Associated Press tions on Myanmar’s military
BANGKOK (AP) — Myan- government and demand-
mar’s military-controlled ed the immediate release
government plans to trans- of Suu Kyi and other politi-
fer the country’s ousted cal detainees.
leader Aung San Suu Kyi The reported plans for the
from a prison in the capi- 78-year-old Suu Kyi’s re-
tal, Naypyitaw, to home lease have been circu-
confinement. The move is lating two weeks since
part of an act of clemency Thai Foreign Minister Don
to prisoners in connection Pramudwinai met her in
with a religious ceremony prison, becoming the first
next week, a security offi- foreign visitor to be granted
cial said Tuesday. access to her since she was
There has been no official detained. Don told journal-
confirmation of the plans, ists she was in good health
though journalists working and conveyed her willing-
for outlets friendly to the ness to engage in talks to
military government said resolve the crisis gripping
they had heard the same her strife-torn nation.
information. News about Suu Kyi has been unable to
Suu Kyi is tightly controlled give her version of the July
by the military government, Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, left, attends the bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi 9 meeting, said to have
and even her lawyers are Jinping at the president house in Naypyitaw Myanmar, on Jan. 18, 2020. Associated Press lasted about an hour-and-
banned by a gag order a-half. Myanmar’s military
from talking to the media Democracy party won a Tuesday. ister-level Cabinet official. confirmed the meeting
about her cases. landslide victory in the 2020 The official, who spoke on She was initially held after had been held, but said it
Suu Kyi, who was arrested election and was about to condition of anonymity be- her arrest at her official resi- had no details because its
on Feb. 1, 2021 when the begin a second five-year cause he risks punishment dence in the capital, then was one-on-one between
army seized power from term in office. since he is not authorized to moved to an undisclosed the ousted leader and the
her elected government, The official in Naypyitaw, release information, said he location widely believed to Thai diplomat.
has been sentenced to a who is familiar with Suu Kyi’s did not know exactly where be on an army base before Don revealed the event
total of 33 years in prison situation, told The Associ- she would be moved to or being transferred to prison when he was attending a
after being convicted on a ated Press that the military when. on June 22, 2022. meeting in the Indonesian
range of charges brought government will announce The official said he was un- The military’s 2021 take- capital, Jakarta, of the
by the military government Suu Kyi’s transfer on the oc- able to confirm a report over and the crackdown Association of Southeast
that are widely seen as casion of consecrating a by the BBC’s Myanma- on the armed resistance to Asian Nations. ASEAN, has
contrived for political pur- new giant statue of a sitting language service that she it plunged the country into been seeking to mediate
poses. Buddha it has had built, a has already been trans- deadly chaos that some an end to the violent con-
Several of her cases are symbol of devotion in the ferred from the prison to U.N. experts have called a flict in Myanmar, which
awaiting final appeals. majority Buddhist nation. a residence in Naypyitaw civil war. Western govern- some members believe de-
Her National League for The ceremony is due next assigned to a deputy min- ments, including the United stabilizes the region. q

Taliban bans beauty salons in Afghanistan despite rare public

protest

By RAHIM FAIEZ The Taliban said it decid- vices forbidden by Islam grooms during wedding U.N. Secretary-General
Associated Press ed to ban beauty salons and caused economic festivities. Antonio Guterres “sup-
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Tal- because they offered ser- hardship for the families of Its earlier announcement ports the efforts by the
iban announced Tuesday of a one-month deadline U.N. Assistance Mission in
that all beauty salons in Af- for salons to wind down Afghanistan (UNAMA),
ghanistan must now close their businesses led to a which has called on the de
as a one-month deadline rare public protest in which facto authorities to halt the
ended, despite rare public dozens of beauticians and edict closing beauty sa-
opposition to the edict. makeup artists gathered in lons. UNAMA has said that
Sadiq Akif Mahjer, spokes- Kabul, the capital. Security this restriction on women’s
man for the Taliban-run Vir- forces used fire hoses and rights will impact negatively
tue and Vice Ministry, did tasers and shot their guns on the economy and con-
not say whether it would into the air to break up the tradicts support for wom-
use force against salons protest. en’s entrepreneurship, and
that do not comply. The ban also drew concern we’re seeking a reversal
The ruling is the latest curb from international groups of the bans,” U.N. deputy
on the rights and freedoms worried about its impact on spokesman Farhan Haq
of Afghan women and girls female entrepreneurs. said Monday.
following edicts barring The United Nations said it The Taliban listed a series of
them from education, pub- Beauticians put makeup on customers at Ms. Sadat’s Beauty was engaged with Afghan- services offered by beauty
lic spaces and most forms Salon in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, April 25, 2021. istan authorities to get the salons that it said violated
of employment. Associated Press prohibition reversed. Islam. q