Searching for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi amidst the complexities of the capital

Where is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi? Ousted leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is under house arrest in Naypyidaw, her captors say. But exactly where she is, is hard to say. Experts describe Naypyidaw as a city built to protect the secrets of the ruling military junta. Despite a population of only about 1 million, Naypyidaw is more than nine times the size of New York City. With its anonymous compounds, sparsely populated boulevards, and routes connecting forests and rice fields, Naypyidaw is like a labyrinth for those who don't know the way. Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the 2021 coup, announced in April that she had been moved from Naypyidaw prison to house arrest. Min Aung Hlaing presented the move as a semblance of legitimacy, marking the military dictator's transition to a civilian president after tightly controlled elections. But critics say it was merely an attempt by Min Aung Hlaing to improve his image. The 81-year-old Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has not gained more freedom than before and remains in solitary confinement in an undisclosed location in Naypyidaw, they say. "Not everyone knows her whereabouts," said Thein Tun Oo of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which supported Min Aung Hlaing's rise to power after the elections. "I don't know. I am also just a citizen," he added, as a lawmaker and party spokesman. Naypyidaw, meaning "Abode of Kings," a deserted palace city, was designated the capital by Myanmar's former military dictator, Than Shwe, in 2005. Urban theorists say Naypyidaw's location, far from the former port city of Yangon and the second city of Mandalay, in the central part of the country, reflects fears of public unrest and foreign interference. Built in the early 2000s, Naypyidaw appears quiet and serene, but at the same time, it gives a sense of danger. Security forces patrol the vast city. The 800-acre Parliament complex, gleaming gold, is one of the largest parliamentary complexes in the world. However, Myanmar is also a country with a long history of dictatorial rule. Due to jammers that disable mobile internet signals, it is difficult to use navigation applications. Along the endless boulevards, gardeners maintaining the lawns are often more numerous than drivers and pedestrians. "Living in that city is like a form of house arrest in itself," said Galen Pardee, an adjunct professor and architect at Columbia University in New York. He said Naypyidaw is "completely contrary to what a good capital city would be according to a traditional urban planner." "It's very intentional. There's a political agenda," he said. A local woman in Naypyidaw said she had no idea where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi might be. The 25-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, said she herself often gets lost in Naypyidaw due to the roads. "Everything seems to be the same for us," she said. "Some roads are still confusing for us." "We don't know where she is being held," she added. House arrest far from home Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of independence architect General Aung San, spent most of her life abroad and returned to Myanmar in 1988 to lead the movement for popular rule. Her early political activities led to her being placed under house arrest for 15 years at her family home in Yangon. That home became a place for supporters to pay homage. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Later, military generals allowed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to govern during a decade-long transition to democracy. But eventually, they reverted with a coup, and a civil war broke out in Myanmar. She was imprisoned on charges that human rights groups have called fabricated, and has not been seen in public since. A villa in Naypyidaw where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lived before taking power has also been demolished. As an elected leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was entitled to live in a government house in Naypyidaw, which could not be entered without security clearance. But the secrecy surrounding her current whereabouts is deeper than road blockades. When her transfer to house arrest was announced, two sources from special police units in different jurisdictions said she had been moved to their areas of responsibility. However, they said these locations were places they themselves could not enter. The confusion persists. "Even the generals don't know her whereabouts," one source said this week. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's son, Kim Eric, said she should be in Yangon. He said any house where she is held is not a comfortable residence but a private prison. "I really don't see what has changed from what she has been enduring over the past many years," he said by phone from London. Trapped in the past Min Aung Hlaing held elections after five years of rule by decree. After excluding Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the USDP, backed by the Myanmar military junta, won easily in January. Although old magazines praising Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are still displayed in the parliament in Naypyidaw, USDP lawmaker Aye Chan said, "Her era is over." "Whether she is released or not, she will not play any role. She is already very old," he said. So where is she?