The National League for Democracy (NLD) plans to file a defamation suit against the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) upper house representative Hla Swe for “slandering” NLD officials.
NLD Central Committee member Win Htein said that the party was offended by Hla Swe’s recent remarks in Burmese press, which had him on record saying all NLD leaders are “useless” except for Aung San Suu Kyi.
“I have recommended that U Hla Swe be sued for his slanderous remarks about our party,” said Win Htein.
“He was quoted as saying that — with exception of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi — everyone else in the party is useless, and that our abbreviation D-Gyoke should be changed to D-Shoke [Shoke means untrustworthy] — this makes them liable for a suit under both civil and criminal laws.”
Another member of the NLD Central Committee and the party’s lawyer Nyan Win, confirmed the intention to sue.
Hla Swe, however, does not think the NLD will follow through on their threat.
“I don’t think they’ll go ahead – I have my freedom of speech… if they are upset with that, then they are not really democratic,” he said. “We, the USDP, are about democracy.”
Hla Swe made the remarks during an interview with a news journal last week after appearing on a DVB debate programme alongside NLD legal experts.
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