The National Unity Government (NUG) spokesperson U Nay Bun Lat has expressed serious concerns about the safety of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other political prisoners following the earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28. The military council is currently detaining Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw and President U Win Myint in Taungoo Prison. The statement came during the government’s public announcement 7/2025 addressing both domestic and international audiences.
At Mandalay’s Obo Prison, the earthquake caused building collapses resulting in at least four deaths and approximately 12 injuries, according to Ko Thet Tun Oo, a leading committee member of the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM). He reported that around 160 prisoners are being forcibly held in buildings that are on the verge of collapse. The committee member emphasized the need for the military council to properly verify and announce prison casualty numbers, criticizing their apparent attempt to conceal deaths within the prison system. The prison buildings and walls were already in poor structural condition before the earthquake, as they were constructed many years ago and have been consistently overcrowded, significantly weakening their structural integrity.
According to family members of political prisoners, when the earthquake struck, it was during lockdown hours at the prison. The authorities only allowed prisoners to evacuate after both tremors had passed, resulting in injuries from falling walls and ceiling debris. One family member reported that their brother, imprisoned under terrorism charges, along with other inmates, pleaded to sleep outside but were forced back into the damaged buildings the next day. When prisoners resisted returning to the unstable structures, prison authorities threatened them with military intervention. The situation highlights the ongoing crisis of prisoner safety and human rights violations within Myanmar’s prison system under military council control.
