Mandalay Central Prison

Mandalay Central Prison (Burmese: မန္တလေးဗဟိုအကျဉ်းထောင်), informally known as Obo Prison (အိုးဘိုအကျဉ်းထောင်), is a major prison located in Aungmyethazan Township, Mandalay, Myanmar (formerly Burma).[1] The prison is adjacent to the Obo railway station, and located northeast of the city centre, at the foot of Mandalay Hill.[2] The prison has a capacity of 4,833 inmates.[3][4] Mandalay Central Prison has housed many prominent political prisoners, including Zaw Myint Maung, Ye Lwin, and Win Htein.[2]

Mandalay Central Prison
LocationMandalay, Myanmar
Coordinates22.023214415739908°N 96.09666512741309°E / 22.023214415739908; 96.09666512741309
StatusActive
Capacity4,833
Opened1992 (1992)
Managed byMinistry of Home Affairs
CityMandalay
State/provinceMandalay Region
CountryMyanmar

History

The prison was built in 1992 by the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the ruling military junta, to replace a pre-colonial jail inside Mandalay Palace, amid domestic unrest following the 8888 Uprising.[5] The prison's half-spoke wheel design has been used as a reference model for subsequent prison designs in the country.[5]

In April 2008, 5 inmates at the prison were charged with murder after Kyaw Myo Thu, an inmate was found dead in a jail cell.[6] In the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'etat, Obo Prison has been used to house numerous political prisoners.[7] In August 2022, several prisoners were shot for staging a hunger strike, in response to the high-profile execution of anti-coup political activists, including Kyaw Min Yu and Phyo Zeyar Thaw.[8]

Notable prisoners

References
  1. "Myanmar junta destroys houses near Mandalay's Obo Prison". Mizzima Myanmar News and Insight. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  2. "Surviving more than 600 days as an inmate of Obo Prison". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  3. Phyo Wai Kyaw (2019-03-27). "Mandalay prison filled to overflowing". Myanmar Times.
  4. Zarni Mann (2018-04-23). "5 Charged With Murder Following Fatal Beating of Obo Prison Inmate". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  5. Martin, Tomas Max (October 2021). "The politics of prison air: Breath, smell, and wind in Myanmar prisons". Punishment & Society. 23 (4): 478–496. doi:10.1177/14624745211024339. ISSN 1462-4745.
  6. Mike (2018-04-23). "5 Charged With Murder Following Fatal Beating of Obo Prison Inmate". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  7. "Myanmar Junta Transfers Over 120 Political Prisoners from Mandalay's Obo Jail". The Irrawaddy. 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  8. Nora Aung (2022-08-05). "Political Prisoners Injured in Myanmar Prison Crackdown". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  9. "Bal Gangadhar Tilak", Wikipedia, 2023-08-10, retrieved 2023-08-23
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