Factbox: Envoy of Myanmar’s ousted civilian government charged with treason
(Reuters) - Myanmar's military junta on Tuesday charged the international envoy of the ousted government with treason for encouraging a civil disobedience campaign, calling for international sanctions and urging the overthrow of the army.
A warrant for the arrest of Dr Sasa was issued by a court in the capital Naypyitaw, military-run television said. He is currently overseas.
Reacting to the charge, he told Sky News, "I am proud that they charged me because I stand for the truth, freedom, democracy and justice".
Here are some facts about Dr Sasa.
DOCTOR TURNED POLITICIAN
Sasa, who is in his forties and who goes by the single name, spent many years as a doctor in his home of remote Chin state, one of Myanmar's poorest areas.
He was working on the election campaign of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) before the military seized power on Feb. 1 and detained leader Suu Kyi and most of her cabinet.
He was in Naypyitaw on the day of the coup but fled by disguising himself as a taxi driver, he said in an interview with CNN.
He was quickly appointed the envoy to the United Nations for the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), a body of ousted lawmakers that is attempting to reestablish the civilian government and displace the military.
The military has announced that anyone associated with the committee is committing treason, which is punishable by death.
MASSIVE FOLLOWING
Since his appointment, Sasa has won a legion of fans on social media with his furious posts about the military.
His Facebook page has 2.1 million followers and is filled with thousands of supportive comments from Myanmar citizens.
WARNED OF CIVIL WAR
The envoy has also given a flurry of media interviews and called on Myanmar people to send him evidence of human rights abuses by the army.
He has also spoken with the country's largest ethnic armed groups, which are locked in long-running wars with government troops, seeking to make an agreement to fight the military together.
The army cited his talks with the armed groups in its announcement about the treason charge.
In his latest media interview, with CNN, Sasa warned the ruling army chief General Min Aung Hlaing could face the same fate as Iraq's Saddam Hussein or Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and the country could see the "greatest civil war" in its history.
(Writing by Poppy McPherson; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
