Myanmar's State Administration Council amends law on personal freedoms, security
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Police patrol a street after several local authorities across Myanmar impose regional curfew on February 8, 2021. (Photo: VCG)

Myanmar's State Administration Council led by Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday issued an order amending the Protection of the Citizens for the Personal Freedom and Personal Security Law.

According to the order, Sections 5, 7 and 8 of the law will be suspended during the state of emergency declared on February 1. The suspended laws constrained security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without court approval.

The suspended Section 5 says authorities cannot damage the privacy and security of the citizen except where this occurs in accordance with existing law, and when acting in accordance with existing law, the authorities shall not enter into a person's residence or private places for the purpose of search, seizure, or arrest, unless accompanied by minimum of two witnesses from local administration organizations.

The suspended Section 7 of the law says that no one shall be detained for more than 24 hours without permission from a court unless the detention is in accordance with existing law.

Section 8 limited entering into a citizen's private residence or room without court approval. It also prohibited opening, searching, seizing or destroying another person's private correspondence or mail, or seizing assets.

The one-year state of emergency was declared in Myanmar after President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained along with other officials from National League for Democracy (NLD) by the military on February 1.

The state power was handed over to Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and the State Administration Council was formed later.

The military had demanded the postponement of new parliamentary sessions, citing massive voting fraud in the November 2020 general elections, which saw the NLD win a majority of seats in both houses of parliament.

Myanmar's Union Election Commission dismissed the allegation.