Myanmar's COVID-19 Vaccine Chief is imprisoned by the Junta for defending international aid funds against seizure

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Dr. Htar Htar Lin, who oversaw Myanmar's COVID-19 vaccine rollout under the deposed civilian administration, was sentenced to three years in prison with hard labour by Myanmar's junta on corruption allegations when she refused the dictatorship international COVID-19 grants.

According to Junta-controlled newspapers, the director of the national immunisation programme defied ministerial orders by returning a 168 million kyat (US$91,000) Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization Health System Strengthening grant from Unicef and the World Health Organization on Feb. 10, 2021, shortly after the coup.

 

According to the junta's media, the return of the grant depleted governmental assets, and she was found guilty under the Anti-Corruption Law.

Since June of last year, the well-respected director has been charged with three more counts, including high treason and incitement, as well as violating the Unlawful Association Act for allegedly assisting the civilian National Unity Government (NUG), which the junta has labelled a terrorist organisation.
The charges can result in a sentence of up to 20 years in jail.

Dr. Htar Htar Lin was arrested in June of last year in Yangon after an arrest warrant was issued shortly after the coup.
At the same time, her seven-year-old son, husband, friend, and daughter were all detained.
Her valuables were seized and her home was ransacked by the dictatorship.

 

Dr. Htar Htar Lin emailed colleagues in early February last year, warning that she would likely face accusations of misusing funds if the government attempted to steal from the immunisation programme.

"We can't let military dictators utilise COVID vaccinations as a weapon," the email stated.
When you read this, I may still be free or detained by the military.
But I'll never give up."

The junta also convicted Dr. Soe Oo, who chaired the external aid committee supervising the COVID-19 award, to the same corruption charges on Wednesday for failing to prevent Dr. Htar Htar Lin from returning the funds.
On Wednesday, he was sentenced to two years in prison with hard work.

 

After the coup, both high-profile doctors refused to work for the state and joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM).

On Feb. 3, medics initiated the CDM in protest of the coup, which was quickly joined by other government employees across the country.

Last year, the junta said that Dr. Htar Htar Lin admitted to using the apps Signal and Zoom to communicate with Dr. Zaw Wai Soe, the NUG's health minister.
She assisted in the preparation of speeches and NUG health-care policy documents, as well as the planning of Zoom meetings and the implementation of NUG health-care initiatives, including estimating the required drugs and expenditures, according to official media.

 

It levelled the same charge against another 26 doctors, alleging that they had accepted NUG positions in public health, health administration, and clinical care.
Dr. Maung Maung Nyein Tun, 45, a lecturer at Mandalay University's Department of Surgery, was one of those indicted and died in junta prison with COVID-19 in August last year.

Since the February 1 coup, 286 health workers have been imprisoned, according to Physicians for Human Rights.
By Jan. 10, the junta had attacked at least 128 clinics and hospitals, killing at least 30 health workers, according to the group.

 

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Edited April 22, 2022 by ASEAN NOW Content Team