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Myanmar’s military allegedly preparing to move Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest, source reveals

Myanmar’s military government is reportedly considering moving Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest in Naypyitaw.

However, there’s no official confirmation yet. Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers and NUG could not verify the reports. She faces 33 years in detention on various charges.

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1 year ago

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MYANMAR: Reports from two media outlets on Wednesday suggest that Myanmar’s military government is considering moving ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest in Naypyitaw, the capital.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a 78-year-old Nobel laureate, has been in detention since early 2021 when the military staged a coup and violently cracked down on opponents, resulting in the imprisonment and death of thousands.

According to the Associated Press (AP), an unidentified security official claimed that this potential move was an act of clemency in preparation for a religious ceremony scheduled for the following week.

An official in Naypyidaw, who is knowledgeable about Aung San Suu Kyi’s situation, revealed to The AP that the military government plans to announce her transfer to a different location on the occasion of consecrating a new giant statue of a sitting Buddha.

This statue holds significant religious symbolism in the majority Buddhist nation of Myanmar. The ceremony for the consecration is scheduled for next Tuesday.

The BBC Burmese-language service mentioned that a source close to the prison revealed that she might have already been relocated to a house typically used by government officials.

However, There has been no official confirmation of the plans, though journalists working for outlets friendly to the military government said they had heard the same information.

Similarly, Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers and a spokesperson for the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which opposes military rule, were unable to confirm the reports.

Despite potential improvements in her conditions, the NUG spokesperson, Kyaw Zaw, asserted that Aung San Suu Kyi remains a prisoner of conscience.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who was arrested on 1 February 2021, faces a cumulative sentence of 33 years in detention after being convicted on various charges, including incitement, election fraud, and corruption, which she denies.

After her arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi was initially held at her official residence in the capital city.

However, she was later moved to an undisclosed location, which was widely believed to be on an army base. Subsequently, on 22 June last year, she was transferred to prison, where she has been detained since then.

Numerous Western governments have criticized the junta’s treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi and others, urging for their release.

Recently, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai disclosed that he had met Aung San Suu Kyi, becoming the first foreign official to gain access to her since her detention over two years ago.

This meeting occurred as the regional grouping Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) struggled to reach a consensus on how to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, one of its member countries.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero, has a history of being under house arrest.

In 1989, she was first placed under house arrest following large-scale protests against the country’s decades-long military rule. Despite her detention, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts in advocating for democracy.

Only in 2010 was she fully released from house arrest. She won the 2015 election, part of limited military reforms, which were subsequently halted by the 2021 coup.

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Civil Society

APHR urges Myanmar’s SAC to halt imminent execution of five democracy activists

The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has called on Myanmar’s State Administration Council to halt the execution of five democracy activists scheduled for 24 September 2024. APHR cited grave concerns about the death sentences and called for the activists’ unconditional release.

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2 days ago

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20 September 2024

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The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has called on Myanmar’s ruling State Administration Council (SAC) to immediately halt the scheduled execution of five democracy activists, set to take place on 24 September 2024.

The activists—Zaryaw Phyo (32), San Min Aung (24), Kyaw Win Soe (33), Kaung Pyae Sone Oo (27), and Myat Phyo Pwint—were sentenced to death in a closed-door hearing at Yangon’s Insein Prison on 18 May 2023.

They were convicted for their alleged involvement in a deadly shooting on a Yangon train in 2021, which resulted in the deaths of six police officers.

The attack occurred amid a national wave of armed resistance to the military coup that had taken place earlier in 2021.

The detainees were charged with murder and illegal weapons possession under several laws, including the 1949 Arms Act and the 2014 Counterterrorism Law.

According to Myanmar Now, the sentences were handed down by District Judge Khin Ni Ni Aye of Ahlone Township, where the attack took place nearly two years earlier.

The court sentenced Kaung Pyae Sone Oo to two death penalties under the Arms Act and terrorism charges, while the other defendants received one death sentence and one life sentence each.

APHR Chairperson Mercy Chriesty Barends, a member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives, condemned the verdicts, calling for the unconditional release of the detainees.

“We call upon the SAC to immediately release them and ensure that, pending their release, the detention conditions comply with international standards,” Barends said. She further stressed the importance of access to legal representation, medical care, and contact with family.

The activists’ death sentences were particularly concerning to APHR, as they were issued by the civilian judiciary, rather than a military court, marking the first such case since the military coup in 2021.

APHR Board Member Wong Chen, a Malaysian MP, called the use of the death penalty a means of stifling dissent. “The use of capital punishment as a tool to suppress dissent is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he stated.

The group also drew attention to the fact that this sentencing comes at a time when more than 100 post-coup prisoners are currently on death row in Myanmar.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reported that 117 individuals arrested following the 2021 coup await execution, and a further 42 have been sentenced to death in absentia. While the regime has commuted some sentences and pardoned political prisoners, the continued use of capital punishment signals a deepening crackdown on political opposition.

Kasit Piromya, APHR Board Member and former Thai MP, noted the broader implications of these sentences. “This marks the first instance of the civilian judiciary, rather than a military tribunal, issuing death sentences since the coup, signalling a disturbing shift in the judicial proceedings in Myanmar,” he said.

The upcoming execution has raised fears reminiscent of the August 2022 execution of four prominent anti-coup activists, including former National League for Democracy (NLD) MP Phyo Zeya Thaw, whose executions marked the first use of capital punishment in Myanmar in decades and sparked global outrage.

APHR Board Member Arlene D. Brosas, a Philippine MP, said that the SAC’s ongoing use of executions represents a “significant setback” in peace efforts.

“These executions show the absence of political will from the SAC to implement the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus meaningfully,” she added.

APHR continues to advocate for the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Myanmar and urges the international community to increase pressure on the SAC to cease its human rights violations.

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Civil Society

FORUM-ASIA condemns Myanmar junta’s forced conscription expansion, urges international action

FORUM-ASIA condemns Myanmar’s military junta for expanding forced conscription, calling it a desperate bid to maintain power. The policy, affecting men aged 35 to 60, adds to a long list of human rights violations, including forced labor and the use of civilians as human shields.

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3 weeks ago

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4 September 2024

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The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has condemned the Myanmar military junta’s recent decision to expand the age limit of its forced conscription policy, calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar.

The move is seen as a desperate attempt by the junta to maintain control in the face of a growing pro-democracy resistance movement.

On 25 August 2024, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced the introduction of a new “security system with public participation.”

This system would require men aged 35 to 60 to serve as guards, potentially placing them on the frontlines of conflict. The announcement follows the formation of the Central Supervisory Committee for People’s Security and Anti-Terrorism on 16 August, tasked with organizing military training and overseeing “people’s security and anti-terrorism” groups at various administrative levels.

The junta’s plan builds upon the forced conscription policy it implemented on 10 February 2024, invoking the 2010 People’s Military Service Law.

The law mandates men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve two years in the military, with professionals like doctors and engineers potentially serving up to five years. Those who evade service or assist others in doing so face up to five years in prison. As part of this policy, the junta planned to conscript 5,000 individuals monthly from April 2024.

Civilians as Human Shields and Forced Labor

FORUM-ASIA has condemned the junta’s forced conscription policies, highlighting the military’s history of using civilians as human shields and forcing them into hard labor.

The International Labour Organization’s Commission of Inquiry found in October 2023 that the military continues to impose forced labor amidst the ongoing armed conflict, a practice that has escalated since the 2021 coup attempt.

Local news and human rights groups have reported that the junta is also abducting and arresting citizens to use as human shields, further contributing to the human rights violations in Myanmar. Many youths, rather than being conscripted into fighting for a regime they oppose, have fled their homes to join the resistance.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern over the junta’s detention and recruitment of Myanmar youth. Meanwhile, Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, noted the junta’s increasing use of powerful weapons against civilians as troop losses and recruitment challenges mount.

Call for Action

FORUM-ASIA is calling on the Myanmar military junta to immediately halt its forced conscription, abductions, forced labor, and the use of civilians as human shields.

“FORUM-ASIA urges the international community, including the UN and ASEAN, to thoroughly investigate the Myanmar military junta’s long list of human rights violations. The junta should be held accountable for all its crimes through sanctions and other punitive measures,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.

“The international community must urgently isolate the junta and support the people of Myanmar in their struggle for justice and freedom,” Bacalso added.

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