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 incumbent State Counsellor of Myanmar. The house is situated on the University Avenue Road, adjacent to Inya Lake.

54 University Avenue
Burmese: ၅၄၊ တက္ကသိုလ်ရိပ်သာလမ်း
Press conference on north lawn of the house in 2012
General information
Address54, University Avenue Road, Bahan Township
Town or cityYangon
CountryMyanmar
Coordinates16°49′32.88″N 96°9′1.8″E
Current tenantsAung San Suu Kyi
(State Counsellor of Myanmar)
Completedbefore 1948

History
Aung San Suu Kyi welcoming U.S. President Barack Obama (left) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague (right) to 54 University Avenue.

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, near Kandawgyi Lake, to this colonial-era villa facing Inya Lake, on University Avenue Road.[1]

Political significance
A meeting in the dining room (Clicking on a person will take you to their article.)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Aung San Suu Kyi on the east lawn in 2011

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.[2]

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.[3]

On 4 May 2009, an American citizen John Yettaw trespassed the house two weeks before her scheduled release from house arrest on 27 May.[4][5][6] It is illegal in Myanmar to have a guest stay overnight at one's home without notifying the authorities first.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9] Time magazine reports 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.[9][10]

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.[11][12]

References
  1. Wintle, Justin (2007). Perfect Hostage. Skyhorse Publishing. p. 9781602392663.
  2. Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi greets Myanmar monks . AFP. 22 September 2007
  3. "Official: UN plane lands in Myanmar with aid after cyclone". Associated Press. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  4. "Lawyer: Myanmar possibly rushing Suu Kyi's trial". Associated Press. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 20 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  5. Mydans, Seth (19 May 2009). "Myanmar Presses Case Against Pro-Democracy Leader". The New York Times.
  6. Sudekum Fisher, Maria (14 May 2009), "Motives of American who swam to Suu Kyi a mystery", Associated Press
  7. Zaw, Aung (13 May 2009), "Suu Kyi's Stalker Swimmer", Irrawaddy, archived from the original on 2009-05-23, retrieved 2016-05-09
  8. "Aung San Suu Kyi's house gate auctioned for $200,000". BBC News.
  9. 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."
  10. NCGUB Archived March 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine 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."
  11. Adams, Cindy (15 December 2011). "The lady is a champ in Burma". New York Post. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  12. "The Lady: Aung San Suu Kyi's Fight for Freedom". Time. 27 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
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