Myanmar construction magnate claims cash payments to Suu Kyi

MANDALAY, Myanmar (AP) — A Myanmar construction magnate with links to military rulers has claimed he personally gave more than half a million dollars in cash to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a broadcast on state television aimed at discrediting the ousted civilian government. The statement could pave the way for more serious charges against Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the Feb. 1 military takeover while security forces increasingly use lethal force against a popular uprising demanding the restoration of democratically elected leaders. The military has already tried to implicate Suu Kyi in corruption, alleging she was given $600,000 plus gold bars by a political ally. On Wednesday, protesters fired slingshots and threw fire bombs at security forces in a rare incidence of fighting back.