KUALA LUMPUR – Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s former leader and Nobel laureate, has been transferred to house arrest from prison.
“Since the weather is extremely hot, it is not only for Aung San Suu Kyi… For all those who need necessary precautions, especially elderly prisoners, we are working to protect them from heatstroke,” government spokesperson major general Zaw Min Tun told reporters yesterday.
It was not immediately clear where Suu Kyi had been moved, Reuters reported.
Suu Kyi was held under house arrest for a total of 15 years under a previous military government at a decrepit, colonial-style family residence on Yangon’s Inya Lake, where she famously gave impassioned speeches to crowds of supporters over the metal gates of the property.
After a short time in power, the 78-year-old was detained by the Myanmar military when it overthrew her government in a 2021 coup.
She faces 27 years in prison on charges ranging from treason and bribery to violations of telecommunications laws, all of which she denies.
In February, her son Kim Aris said she was being held in solitary confinement and that she was in good spirits “even if her health is not as good as it was in the past”.
World leaders and pro-democracy activists have repeatedly called for her release.
A spokesperson for the NUG shadow government called for the unconditional release of Suu Kyi and U Win Myint, Myanmar’s ousted president, who has also been moved to house arrest, according to media reports.
“Moving them from prisons to houses is good, as houses are better than prisons. However, they must be unconditionally freed.
“They must take full responsibility for the health and security of Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Myint,” spokesperson Kyaw Zaw told Reuters late on Tuesday. – April 17, 2024