54 University Avenue

54 University Avenue is a house in Bahan Township, Yangon. It is the residence of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese politician and former State Counsellor of Myanmar. The house is situated on the University Avenue Road, adjacent to Inya Lake.

History

In 1953, following the death of her elder brother, Aung San Suu Kyi, her mother Khin Kyi and her eldest brother Aung San Oo moved from their house on Tower Lane (now Bogyoke Aung San Museum) near Kandawgyi Lake, to this colonial-era villa facing Inya Lake, on University Avenue Road. The house sits on a lot.

Political significance

File:Secretary Clinton Meets with Aung San Suu Kyi (6441354045).jpg, A meeting in the dining room (Clicking on a person will take you to their article.), 300px, thumb
rect 0 1240 404 1752 Aye Tha Aung
rect 1000 1184 1368 1696 Tin Oo
rect 1920 1212 2284 1700 Hillary Clinton
rect 2292 1228 2548 1672 Derek Mitchell
rect 2564 1236 2920 1944 Aung San Suu Kyi
rect 3152 1328 3564 1964 Win Tin
desc bottom-left

Aung San Suu Kyi met people of various backgrounds, political views and religions in the house during 1988 uprisings. She remained under house arrest for almost 15 of the 21 years from 1989 to 2010 in the house.

On 22 September 2007, although still under house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi made a brief public appearance at the gate of the house to accept the blessings of Buddhist monks during the Saffron revolution.Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi greets Myanmar monks
. AFP. 22 September 2007

On 2 May 2008, after the Cyclone Nargis, the roof of the house was damaged and Aung San Suu Kyi lived in virtual darkness after losing electricity. She used candles at night as she was not provided any generator set. The house was renovated in August 2009.

On 4 May 2009, an American citizen John Yettaw trespassed the house two weeks before her scheduled release from house arrest on 27 May. It is illegal in Myanmar to have a guest stay overnight at one's home without notifying the authorities first. This illegal visit prompted Aung San Suu Kyi's arrest on 13 May 2009 and sentenced to eighteen months of house arrest, which effectively meant that she was unable to participate in the 2010 elections.

On 13 November 2010, she waved from behind the gate of the house to her supporters who rushed to the house when nearby barricades were removed by the security forces, celebrating the end of her house arrest.

Ownership lawsuit

In 2000, Aung San Oo brought legal action against Aung San Suu Kyi in the Yangon High Court demanding a half-share of the house. There was widespread speculation among observers at the time that Aung San Oo would then sell his half-share to the ruling State Peace and Development Council junta, but the High Court ruled against him, much to the surprise of the same observers, who had assumed that it would bring down whatever verdict was preferred by the junta.''TIME'' magazine, "Burmese Democracy Leader Faces New Threat", November 28, 2000
quote: "Talk about spite. First, Burma's military government told pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi that she couldn't leave Rangoon. Then they told her that she couldn't leave her house. Now, they want the house." and: "Late last year, former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto visited Burma and met with the generals. Burma's military is anxious for Japan to resume aid to their country, which it cut off when soldiers gunned down thousands of democracy demonstrators in 1988. Hashimoto gave the generals this advice when it came to dealing with Suu Kyi and her followers: Don't back her into a corner. The generals, it appears, aren't listening." ''Time'' magazine reported that, according to Burmese exiles and observers in Yangon, the junta used the alleged surrogacy of Aung San Oo and his lawsuit as an act of spite against her.NCGUB
quote: "If he wins the case, U Aung San Oo is expected to turn his share of the house over to the government, a result which would put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in an extremely precarious position."

In 2016, the Western Yangon District Court ordered the property to be equally divided between Aung San Oo and Aung San Suu Kyi. However, the former considered the decision unfair and appealed unsuccessfully multiple times to have the property auctioned off and the proceeds split between him and Suu Kyi. Following the military coup that ousted the government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, the Supreme Court of Myanmar heard a special appeal from Aung San Oo and decided in 2022 to have the property auctioned off, which was confirmed by a district court in Yangon to begin on 20 March 2024. A legal official said that the property is valued at around 315 billion kyats ($90 million).

In response to these threats, Duwa Lashi La, the acting president of the rival National Unity Government of Myanmar, designated the property as a cultural heritage site in 2022 and prohibited its sale or destruction, under threat of eventual legal punishment.

The auction of the house proceeded on 20 March 2024 in front of its gates, but ended without any bids. A second auction on 15 August also ended without any bids despite the minimum sale price being reduced to 300 billion kyats ($142 million). A third auction on 5 February 2025 also ended without any bids despite the minimum sale price being reduced further to 297 billion kyats ($141 million).

Portrayal in film

The house was featured in Luc Besson's 2011 film '' The Lady''. Under director Luc Besson's helm, his crew also pursued accuracy. Even the cardinal directions were respected when the house was rebuilt, so that the audience would see the sunrise in the same way, based on satellite images and about 200 family photographs, they constructed a precise 1:1 scale model of this house.

References

{{reflist, 2

Buildings and structures in Yangon
Aung San Suu Kyi