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The former military leader of Myanmar has ruled the country with an iron fist for nearly 20 years. After testing positive for COVID-19, he has been taken to a hospital in Nay Pyi Taw, even though the country’s infected citizens have to take care of themselves in crowded medical facilities In the case of a surge in cases across the country.
Local media reported on Friday that he was admitted.
According to the Irrawaddy news website, as a precautionary measure, 88-year-old Than Shwe and his wife Kyaing Kyaing have been under guardianship for several days in the 1,000-bed military hospital in Taichang, the capital.
The Associated Press quoted an unnamed source as saying that the two tested positive for COVID-19, although the severity of their illness is not yet known.
But the Irrawaddy said the couple was “in good health and believed to have been vaccinated” because the country’s vaccine program prioritizes people 65 years and older.
An unnamed government official also told Reuters that Than Shwe was in stable condition in the hospital.
As the military leader of Myanmar from 1992 to 2011, Than Shwe suppressed dissent and isolated the country from the world.
However, he later began a slow transition to civil rule and stopped abruptly in February when his protégé, Army Commander Min Aung Hlaing seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi and the democratically elected government.
The news of the former military general’s admission comes as the country continues to fight a new wave of COVID-19 cases believed to be driven by the Delta variant.
Pandemic response paralysis
After many health workers stopped working to protest the coup, the country’s response to the pandemic was paralyzed. There are also reports that security forces have detained medical personnel or prevented them from going to the hospital.
According to official data considered by medical staff to be seriously underestimated, an average of nearly 300 people have died every day in recent days.
According to the latest reports, at least 341,000 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19 and nearly 12,500 have died.
News reports described the situation in many hospitals in the country as “like hell.”
On Friday, students from the town of Aungmyaythazan in Mandalay took to the streets to oppose the military government. (Photo: CJ) #Myanmar what happened pic.twitter.com/jIkVYThlrP
-Irrawaddy River (English) (@IrrawaddyNews) August 13, 2021
According to the Myanmar Times, among the recent deaths was Maung Maung Nyein Tun, a 45-year-old doctor who was detained for participating in a civil disobedience campaign against military rule.
According to reports, the doctor and his wife, Dr. Swe Zin Oo, tested positive for the virus when they were detained at the Mandalay Palace Interrogation Center in mid-July.
But for two weeks, the police continued to detain him until his condition deteriorated. He died at Mandalay General Hospital on Sunday.
Nianwein is a senior politician of the National League for Democracy led by the overthrown civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi who also died of COVID-19 during detention last month.
Military coups have triggered protests and battles between the army and civilian armed groups almost every day.
According to the Political Prisoners Aid Association, which monitors the situation in Myanmar, more than 900 people have been killed in the military crackdown against its coup.
On Friday, there were reports of strikes and protests across the country, including in Mandalay and Miaotang towns.
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