File picture of Suu Kyi and then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walking through the garden after meetings at Suu Kyi's residence (background) in Yangon on Dec 2, 2011. - AP
YANGON: A junta-controlled court in Myanmar is set to auction imprisoned civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s iconic private residence in Yangon, according to people familiar with the matter.
The auction will be held in front of the house on March 20, with the floor price set at 315 billion kyat (US$90 million), said the people, who declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak with the media. The decision was rendered by a district court in Yangon.
The matter pertains to a more than two decade-long dispute between Suu Kyi and her estranged elder brother Aung San Oo who also claims ownership of the property. Suu Kyi’s brother asked the court in 2019 to auction the asset - and for a share of the proceeds.
The colonial-style mansion, sitting on a 1.9-acre (82,764sq ft) plot near Yangon’s scenic Inya Lake, has long served as a symbol of the nation’s struggle for democracy. As a leader of a popular uprising in 1988, Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest there until her release in 2010.
Following her release, she frequently used the private residence to host world leaders including former President Barack Obama and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The court’s decision comes as the 78-year-old Nobel laureate is facing a third year in jail in the capital of Naypyidaw. She was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison in the wake of a military coup in February 2021. The punishment was later reduced to 27 years.
Major General Zaw Min Tun, lead spokesman for the junta, said he didn’t know about the court ruling. Court proceedings related to cases against Suu Kyi are held behind closed doors and her lawyers have been banned from meeting her and from speaking to the media. - Bloomberg
