The President’s Office denied rumors yesterday that State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has been paralyzed, saying she is healthy and able to work.
“She is not paralyzed. She is performing her duties healthily. She has recently undergone a medical checkup,” President’s Office spokesperson Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday evening.
Rumors about the state counsellor’s paralysis began to spread within political circles (and among astrologers, apparently) after she failed to appear in public for several days following her attendance at a public peace talk in Kayah State on Friday, Dec. 29, the Myanmar Herald reported.
Zaw Htay said she had to returned to work on Tuesday morning, after the New Year holiday.
This morning, photos appeared on the State Counsellor Office’s Facebook page showing Aung San Suu Kyi entering the president’s residence for a meeting, apparently in an attempt to dispel suspicions about her health.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s longtime family physician Dr. Tin Myo Win also told The Irrawaddy that she is in good health and that the public would be alerted otherwise.
The 72-year-old state counsellor’s last-known medical checkup was in September at the Grand Hantha Hospital in Yangon, and she also reportedly receives regular checkups in Naypyidaw.
Zaw Htay said he believes the rumors originated with people seeking to destabilize the Myanmar government and that the President’s Office is seeking to identify the source.
Similar rumors circulated in early December about the health of 71-year-old President Htin Kyaw, with many suspecting that his resignation was imminent.
Aung San Suu Kyi responded to those rumors, saying: “The president’s health is not of concern because he has someone to take care of him.”
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