More than five years after the military overthrew the civilian government she headed and imprisoned the Nobel laureate, Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is set to be placed under home arrest, according to state media on Thursday.
Since then, the junta has arrested Suu Kyi, 80, and her whereabouts have been unknown during a violent civil war that was sparked by the coup in February 2021 and has overrun much of the poor country in Southeast Asia.
Using an honorific for the seasoned politician, state-run MRTV stated that "the remaining portion of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's sentence has been commuted to be served at a designated residence."Additionally, Suu Kyi's first public portrait in years was released by state media, showing her sitting on a wooden bench with two uniformed officers at her sides.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric hailed the news at the UN in New York.He remarked, "We've just seen the reports." "I can assure you that we are grateful that Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest in a specified residence. It is a significant step in the direction of circumstances that support a legitimate political process.
The only workable political solution in Myanmar, according to Dujarric, "must be based on immediate cessation of violence and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue."

Her son Kim Aris, however, said in a statement that the revelation made by Myanmar authorities on Thursday did little to allay concerns about her health or even prove she was still alive.
"I still have no idea where my mum is. I have no idea how she is. I'm still really worried about her survival," he remarked. "I want proof of life if she is still alive."
Aris told Reuters in December that he hasn't spoken to his mother in years and has only occasionally heard second-hand information about her gum, bone, and heart issues since her incarceration.A member of her legal team told Reuters, "We haven't received any direct notification, but it is good to hear that the house arrest has been confirmed." "The news announcement was the only way we learned about it."
33 years in prison
Suu Kyi was convicted on charges ranging from embezzlement and instigating election fraud to violating state secret regulations, which her allies claim were politically motivated and intended to marginalise her. Following a protracted trial process, she was sentenced to 33 years.
On April 17, a Myanmar New Year amnesty freed her ally and co-defendant Win Myint, the former president, after that term was eventually reduced to 27 years.Her sentence was lowered by an additional one-sixth earlier on Thursday as part of a broader amnesty for all inmates in Myanmar's prisons.
Under a previous junta, Suu Kyi, the daughter of former Burmese independence hero General Aung San, was detained under house arrest for a total of 15 years at her family's home on Inya Lake in Yangon, where she famously delivered passionate speeches to throngs of supporters over the property's metal gates.
Since a recent election, Min Aung Hlaing, the former head of the junta in Myanmar who overthrew Suu Kyi in a coup, has been under constant international pressure to free political prisoners, including from the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN, which he is attempting to re-engage with after being excluded from its summits.Last week, Min Aung Hlaing informed Thailand's foreign minister that Suu Kyi was "well looked after" and that his government was thinking of "good things."