Exhausted Suu Kyi Seeks Less Time In Myanmar Junta Court

Myanmar's ousted head of government Aung San Suu Kyi has asked to appear for less time in court during her trial, due to exhaustion, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Photo Insert: Ousted Myanmar Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi

The Nobel Prize laureate asked the judge on Monday to only appear in court every two weeks, and not every week as before, her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told dpa.

"She said she had to spend all weekdays at court so her health condition seems strained," the lawyer said, adding the judge would make a decision next week. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since the military coup in Myanmar in early February.

Last month, she was unable to attend the first day of her trial in the capital Naypyidaw due to illness. It is not known exactly what she is suffering from.

Suu Kyi is accused of a range of offenses, including violations of a state secrets law, foreign trading laws, and breaking coronavirus regulations.

The charges are widely seen as trumped-up and as being aimed at silencing Myanmar's veteran pro-democracy campaigner, who has long been a thorn in the side of the ruling military junta.

Suu Kyi was under house arrest for a total of 15 years in the past, before becoming the de facto head of government in 2016 after democratic elections.

The military justified seizing power by alleging widespread voter fraud during a general election in November, which saw a landslide win for Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy.

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