Two far-right extremists who turned themselves in late last year to face charges of sedition will be tried online, according to an official from Yangon’s Western District Court.
The court decided to try ultranationalist monk Wirathu remotely during a hearing on Tuesday, while the same decision was made for Hla Swe, a former lawmaker from the military’s proxy party, the day before, the official said.
Both men have been charged with sedition under section 124(a) of the penal code, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. They are currently being held at Insein prison.
Wirathu turned himself in at the Western District Court six days before the November 8 election, while Hla Swe came out of hiding on December 28. Both had been fugitives from the law for more than a year.
The decision to conduct their trials via videoconference was made as a precaution to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the court official said.
At around 9pm on Monday, roughly 40 lay and monastic supporters of Wirathu gathered in front of the Western District Court to demand that the rogue monk be tried in person.
Wirathu was hit with a lawsuit in May 2019 after giving a speech at Yangon’s Mahabandoola park railing against government efforts to amend Myanmar’s military-drafted constitution.
The evidence against him also includes personal attacks on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi that he made in speeches he delivered in Myeik, Tanintharyi region.
In transcripts submitted to the court, Wirathu referred to the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader as “one who shakes her butt when meeting with foreigners” and makes other insulting innuendoes against her.
Hla Swe, a former MP and member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, was charged with sedition for remarks that he made in a speech on August 3, 2019.
Speaking at a protest in Yangon, he said, “When America comes to bomb us, don’t you agree they should bomb the Secretariat, the President’s Office, and the offices of the regional governments and the state counsellor?”
He added: “Please just come bomb these offices. Let them all die. Wouldn’t that be great?”
In December, four other nationalists also turned themselves in to face trial on charges related to their support for the killer of NLD legal advisor Ko Ni.
Hein Wai Yan, Myat Bhone Mo, Aung Lin and Tin Lin Htike all surrendered to police after nearly three years on the run.
