Suu Kyi’s advisor in jail dies from Covid-19 as infections spike

Nyan Win
AFP file photo

Myanmar politician Nyan Win, a senior adviser to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, died in hospital on Tuesday after becoming infected with Covid-19 in jail, his party said, as the Southeast Asian country struggles with an exponential rise in infections.

Nyan Win, 78, who had been held in Yangon's Insein prison after being arrested when the army seized power on 1 February, was transferred to hospital last week, the National League for Democracy (NLD) said in a statement.

Reuters was unable to reach the health ministry or a junta spokesman for comment.

Myanmar's efforts to contain Covid-19 infections have been thrown into chaos by the turmoil since the military seized power from Suu Kyi's elected government.

According to the military-controlled health ministry, only about 1.6 million people had been vaccinated out of a population of 54 million, state media reported.

The United Nations said in a report on Monday it was stepping up efforts to combat an "alarming spike" in Covid-19 cases and expected Myanmar to receive enough vaccines via the COVAX facility this year for 20 per cent of the population.

Zaw Wai Soe, health minister of the National Unity Government (NUG), which was set up as a shadow government by opponents of army rule, was quoted by the US-funded RFA (Radio Free Asia) website as saying that up to 400,000 lives could be lost if swift action was not taken to slow infections.

The junta's critics also say lives have been lost because of its restrictions on some private oxygen suppliers in the name of stopping hoarding.