Aung San Suu Kyi speaks with son Kim Aris for first time in five years of detention
Kim Aris, the son of Aung San Suu Kyi, was allowed to speak to his detained mother for the first time in more than five years, he announced on Thursday in a Facebook post. The former Myanmar leader has been held in Naypyidaw since being unseated in the 2021 military coup.
Aung San Suu Kyi speaks with son Kim Aris for first time in five years of detention
A call after five years
Kim Aris said in a Facebook post on Thursday that he had finally been able to speak by phone with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, describing how much hearing her voice again meant to him. The call, arranged after more than five years, was announced alongside photographs that appeared to show him outside the Myanmar embassy in London.
Aris also cautioned that a single conversation does not amount to normal family life. He wrote:
But my mother is 81 and remains unjustly detained. One conversation is not regular family access.
Detained since the 2021 coup
Aung San Suu Kyi has been sequestered almost totally since the February 2021 military coup, which ended a tentative decade-long experiment with democracy in Myanmar. According to the country's authorities, she is now held under house arrest in the capital, Naypyidaw.
Recent months have brought some signs of loosened conditions, as supporters demanded proof of life:
- In April, authorities said she was moved from a prison in Naypyidaw to house arrest.
- In August, they published images of her meeting the nation's Red Cross representative.
- Authorities have also advertised the loosening of her detention with photographs of her taking private meetings.
Supporters and international attention
Aris, who lives in the UK, thanked those who have stood by his mother and him, saying he believed their voices helped make the moment possible. The call came days after Myanmar authorities said on Monday that Aung San Suu Kyi had received a package from Britain's King Charles, containing two books about soil and a sealed diplomatic communication; Buckingham Palace did not comment on its contents. Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel peace prize.
Who holds power
Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted Aung San Suu Kyi in the 2021 coup after ruling as military chief for five years, was installed as civilian president earlier this year. Analysts have called the election that put him in office a charade and suggested he may be loosening restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi in an attempt to court international legitimacy. Whether the phone call points to regular family contact remains unstated in the report.
