Five years of silence end for Aung San Suu Kyi, son says
Kim Aris spoke with his mother at the Myanmar embassy in London after a gap that exceeds five years, reporting she remains in good health but isolated in Naypyidaw.
By Noor Rossi ·
For the first time in more than five years, Kim Aris spoke to his mother, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Thursday. The conversation took place at the Myanmar embassy in London, marking the end of a long period of communication with the former democratic leader.
Aris reported that the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains in good physical and mental condition. He stated that she sounds strong and mentally present. However, he believes she is held in solitary confinement, with only military or police personnel around her.
The former state counsellor is currently detained in an unspecified location within the capital, Naypyidaw. Aris described the site as a fenced-off residence surrounded by scrubby land. He noted that she has no access to newspapers, radio, or television, leaving her completely shut off from the outside world.
The military regime arranged the call as part of a public relations effort. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has been working to rebuild diplomatic ties following elections that were widely criticized. The government recently released images of Suu Kyi smiling in a wood-panelled room while receiving two gardening books from King Charles. Aris described these photo opportunities as familiar stunts used to suggest fair treatment.
Suu Kyi was deposed in the 2021 military coup after leading Myanmar through a brief democratic opening following her party's overwhelming victory in the 2015 election. She has spent much of her life in and out of house arrest for leading pro-democracy movements. Her international standing was affected by the 2016 and 2017 mass killings of Rohingya Muslims, a crisis Aris said his mother never ignored.
The 2021 takeover triggered a civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people, according to conflict monitors. Aris said global support for his mother has dwindled since the Rohingya crisis, causing the entire country to suffer from a lack of international attention. He argued that the world's focus on the Rohingya should not define how the current situation in Burma is viewed.
Source: The Guardian
