Myanmar man indicted for insulting military under controversial law

YANGON: A court in Myanmar indicted a man on Monday for insulting the military chief and former president on social media, under a controversial telecommunications law that activists have urged the new government to repeal.

Police and military prosecutors have filed a lawsuit accusing Hla Phone, 38, of posting a digitally altered image on his Facebook account showing the military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, wearing a traditional female skirt on his head.

Another picture showed a caricature of former president and retired general Thein Sein with the words "we are murderers", and a third showed the national flag imprinted on a shoe.

The military ruled Myanmar for almost 50 years after a 1962 coup, crushing opposition until it began withdrawing from politics in 2011, and paving the way for a 2015 election won by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

But the military retains a major role in politics with control of 25 percent of seats in parliament and three important ministries, including home affairs, which oversees the police, and it has become increasingly sensitive about its image.

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