Aung San Suu Kyi trespasser incidents
Self-portraiture on camera in Yettaw's possession at the time of his arrest: shown attached to Yettaw's sandals are homemade swimfins fashioned of heavy paperboard | |
| Date | 4 May 2009 |
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| Location | Lake Inya Residence at 54 University Avenue, Yangon, Myanmar, where Aung San Suu Kyi was being held under house arrest |
| Participants | John Yettaw |
| Outcome | Arrests of Yettaw, Suu Kyi and her two housekeepers Khin Khin Win and Ma Win Ma Ma on 6 May 2009 Suu Kyi's sentence: 18 months house arrest Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma sentences: identical with Suu Kyi's Yettaw's sentence: 7 years imprisonment, 4 of which, hard labor. (Yettaw's sentence was subsequently commuted to three and a half years, which itself was suspended upon his deportation from Myanmar on August 16, 2009.) |
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State Counsellor of Myanmar President of National League for Democracy Leader of the Opposition House Arrest General Elections Books Popular culture Family
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On May 4, 2009, American John Yettaw (1955 - 2021) trespassed upon the residence of Myanmar political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, two weeks before her scheduled release from house arrest on May 27. This illegal visit prompted Suu Kyi's arrest on May 13, 2009. Yettaw himself was arrested by Myanmar authorities on May 6. He was charged on May 14 with illegally entering a restricted zone, illegal swimming, and breaking immigration laws. It is illegal in Myanmar to have a guest stay overnight at one's home without notifying the authorities first.
Their trial began May 18, 2009. On August 11, Yettaw was sentenced on three counts totaling seven years, including four hard labor. Suu Kyi was sentenced to eighteen months of house arrest. On August 14, US Senator Jim Webb arrived in Burma and successfully negotiated Yettaw's release and August 16 deportation.
Myanmar authorities asserted that Yettaw's visits were instigated by opposition groups as part of efforts to pressure and embarrass the government; however, no evidence of this ever came to light. The Myanmar government disqualified Suu Kyi from participating in the 2010 elections.