Myanmar junta removes General Aung San’s portrait from gate of Suu Kyi’s residence

Mizzima

Military junta forces removed a portrait of General Aung San from the front gate of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence at No. 54 University Avenue Road, Yangon, on the night of 14 June, under the pretext of conducting a guest-list inspection, according to Mizzima sources.

At around 11:00 p.m., an administrative team of approximately seven personnel, including a Bahan Township police major and local officials, entered the compound claiming to inspect the overnight guest log. While the team was inside, a separate group waiting outside removed the portrait from the front gate.

“They arrived at 11:00 p.m. to check the guest list, accompanied by the township police chief. While the group went inside, those remaining outside took down the portrait. No vehicles were seen; they came on foot. About seven people entered the house. Since the removal outside wasn’t directly visible, the exact number involved in that act remains unknown. They kept us occupied inside with the guest inspection. I understand the portrait was painted by Aunty [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] herself,” an anonymous source told Mizzima.

The source said the junta is acting with absolute hostility, treating its opponents with uncompromising ruthlessness. Mizzima has not independently verified whether the portrait was painted by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Residence No. 54 remains embroiled in an ongoing inheritance dispute. Despite four separate attempts to auction the entire property at discounted rates, no buyers have emerged. On 29 May 2025, U Aung San Oo filed a petition at the Kamayut District Court to partition and sell one acre of the land first, leaving Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s residential portion of 0.923 acres untouched for now. The property, registered under the name of their late mother Daw Khin Kyi, spans a total of 1.923 acres.

The National Unity Government (NUG) has designated No. 54 as an interim national cultural heritage site and warned of legal action against any transactions or destruction involving the property.

The portrait removal is part of a broader pattern. The junta has been systematically demolishing and removing bronze statues of General Aung San across the country. On the night of 9 June, a 15-foot bronze statue of General Aung San weighing 453 viss (approximately 740 kg), located on Kan Road in Taungoo, Bago Region, was demolished and removed during a city-wide blackout. Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and newly appointed Chief of General Staff Ye Win Oo had visited Taungoo on 6 June, three days before the demolition.

Since the February 2021 coup, the junta has carried out at least five documented removals of General Aung San’s bronze statues, all conducted during midnight blackouts: in Thazi, Mandalay Region, in October 2024; in Pobbathiri, Naypyidaw, in July 2025; in Bago in August; in Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region, in November; and most recently in Taungoo.