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UNITED NATIONS: The UN special envoy for Myanmar on Friday called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, as the opposition icon spent her 81st birthday under detention inside the military-controlled nation.

“I have repeatedly raised with Naypyidaw the predicament of state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was re-elected in November 2020 but condemned to a harsh and punitive detention after the military takeover,” Julie Bishop told UN member states, a few weeks after her fourth visit to Myanmar.

“There have been no independent verifiable reports of her circumstances for years. Today, on her 81st birthday, I urge others to join with me in calling for her release.” she said.

She added that “in the eyes of many, there can be no progress to peace while … state counsellor Daw Suu is held prisoner.” Daw is an honorific and state counsellor was her official title before the 2021 military coup against her elected government.

In April, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing – who became president after elections that barred the democratic opposition – announced that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, sentenced to more than 30 years in prison, would now be placed under house arrest.

But Aung San Suu Kyi’s whereabouts remain unclear. Her son Kim Aris has demanded that Myanmar’s military rulers provide proof that his mother is alive.