Speculation grows over where Suu Kyi is being detained

More than a year after her transfer from Naypyitaw Prison, the whereabouts of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar’s ousted civilian government, remains a subject of intense speculation. Suu Kyi, who turned 80 last month, was reportedly relocated in April of last year due to the intense heat in the prison at that time. However, the regime that has held her in its custody since seizing power more than four years ago has never confirmed the move. Last week, monitor group Myanmar Prisons Witness (MPW) released a statement claiming that it had tracked her down to a military facility 14 miles from Naypyitaw Prison. The statement does not provide the exact location of the facility—identified as Special Operations Unit No. 6—but says that it is near the office of junta leader Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing. According to the statement, Suu Kyi’s detention is being overseen by a senior officer with the rank of lieutenant general. It added that she has been subjected to psychological abuse and denied adequate care for a variety of medical conditions. Military sources in Naypyitaw told Myanmar Now that Suu Kyi has received treatment at least three times from a team led by a female doctor with the rank of major. However, the sources could not confirm where she is being held. One officer based in Naypyitaw said it was highly unlikely that the MPW report was accurate. “Special Operations Unit No. 6 is right inside Office 1,” he said, referring to the headquarters of the Naypyitaw Regional Military Command. It’s absolutely impossible that she’s there.” The junta has charged Suu Kyi with multiple offences and sentenced her to up to 33 years in prison, while also blocking meetings and communication with her family and lawyers. However, sources said that she has been allowed to receive weekly supplies of food and medicine. While previous regimes have subjected Suu Kyi to extended periods of detention, mostly under house arrest, this is the first time that the public has had no knowledge of where she is being held.

Speculation grows over where Suu Kyi is being detained

According to a monitor group, she is currently being held in a military facility near the office of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing

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