Conflicts & War

Myanmar top court orders sale of Suu Kyi’s iconic house in Yangon

Bangkok, Jan 25 (EFE).- Myanmar’s military-controlled Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the sale of jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s iconic house in the country’s southern city of Yangon, sources told EFE.

According to the court, an auction for the villa, where the deposed democratic leader spent 15 years under house arrest, will be held on Mar. 20, with a minimum bid set at $90 million.

U Bobo Oo, a local leader of Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy, denounced the court’s decision as “illegal,” arguing that the residence holds historical significance and cannot be sold.

“It’s another case of military junta’s arbitrariness,” the politician told EFE.

The iconic residence, on the shore of Inya Lake, has been disputed for years between Suu Kyi and her brother, Aung San Oo.

The colonial-style house originally belonged to their father, Aung San, a hero of Myanmar’s independence, who was assassinated in 1947, and his wife, Khin Kyi, who died in 1988.

Her brother initiated a lawsuit in 2000 to claim ownership of the house but lost the case, and has since sought the sale of the property to receive half of the proceeds.

Suu Kyi has resided in the house since 1988, where she lived with her husband and two children.

The residence has witnessed historic moments for Suu Kyi, including her address to protesters during the Saffron Revolution in 2007.

Throughout the years, the Nobel Peace laureate has hosted notable figures at the house, including former US President Barack Obama in 2012, prior to her electoral victory in 2015.

Suu Kyi was imprisoned shortly after the military seized power in a coup in February 2021, ending a decade of democratic transition in Myanmar and plunging the country into a deep political, social, and economic crisis.

The ousted leader is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence following an opaque judicial process that involved charges she has vehemently denied, including electoral fraud and violating state secrets.

Myanmar has been under military rule for most of its history since gaining independence in 1948. EFE

ak-grc/bks

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