Suu Kyi sweater sold for $50k

A hand-knit woollen sweater made by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has sold at an auction in Burma for almost 50,000 US dollars.

A Burma-based radio station won a bidding war for the sweater during an auction held by Ms Suu Kyi’s opposition party. The bidding started at 6,000 US dollars.

Ms Suu Kyi has not yet commented on the sale of the sweater – a red, green and blue V-neck – or explained its background. It sold for 41,500,000 kyat, or 49,000 US dollars.

The auction was part of a fundraising concert organised by the National League for Democracy party to raise money for education of poor children in the impoverished country.

Ms Suu Kyi, a 67-year-old former political prisoner, has become Burma’s biggest celebrity as the country transitions from a half-century of military rule.