Myanmar junta says Suu Kyi moved to house arrest, doubts linger

Asia Myanmar junta says Suu Kyi moved to house arrest, doubts linger April 30, 20261:26 PM ET By  Lorcan Lovett Enlarge this image Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained following a military coup in 2021. Aung Shine Oo/AP hide caption toggle caption Aung Shine Oo/AP Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained following a military coup in 2021. Aung Shine Oo/AP BANGKOK — Myanmar's military junta has transferred deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest, state broadcaster MRTV announced Thursday – a move her son is calling a "calculated gesture" rather than a sign of genuine progress. Suu Kyi, 80, has been held in detention since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup, toppling the democratically elected government she led. She was sentenced to 27 years in prison on what are widely condemned as fabricated charges of corruption and electoral fraud. The order to transfer her came from Min Aung Hlaing, the general who led the coup and arranged to be sworn in this month as Myanmar's civilian president following an election that excluded her dissolved party, the National League for Democracy. The election was widely dismissed as a sham. Sponsor Message State of the World from NPR Will Myanmar's Election Change Anything? A statement from his office said he had "commuted the remaining sentence" of Suu Kyi "to be served at the designated residence." Undisclosed location The location of that residence has not been disclosed.  Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for Myanmar's parallel anti-junta administration, the National Unity Government, told NPR she had not been returned to her Naypyidaw home. "Where is she?" he said. "This is not hard evidence that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is alive, nor is it an unconditional release of our leader." A separate amnesty on April 17 had already reduced Suu Kyi's sentence by one-sixth, bringing her remaining term to 18 years and nine months. The secrecy surrounding her new location alarms her so...