Myanmar’s former democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi appears to be in good physical and mental health but lives in almost complete isolation, her son said after the first call with his 81-year-old mother in more than five years.
“She always looks very present mentally, and physically she looks strong,” Kim Aris said. “I don’t think she had anyone outside of the military or the police around her, so basically, from what I understood, she was held in solitary confinement.”
After being deposed in a military coup in 2021, the Nobel Peace Prize was moved to an unspecified location in the capital. “I still don’t know exactly where she is,” Aris said. “I think it’s a residence in Naypyidaw, which is fenced and surrounded by bushy terrain.”
Aris, who lived in the UK most of his life and whose late father was a British historian, was allowed to speak to his mother on Thursday at the Myanmar embassy in London. While happy to have the opportunity to speak, he said the invitation was part of a “public relations” campaign by the country’s military leadership.
Former junta leader Min Aung Hlaing sought to rebuild international diplomatic relations and in April swapped his military fatigues for civilian clothes after an election that was widely condemned as a sham.
Activists have long demanded “proof of life” for Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as many other political prisoners. In August, she was finally photographed during a Red Cross visit. Last week, a government spokesperson released images of her smiling in a wood-paneled room as officials handed her two gardening books given by Britain’s King Charles. A paper calendar hanging on the wall behind her showed the date.
Aris said the photo ops were well-known stunts that the regime had previously used to claim that his mother, a national icon, was being treated fairly. The daughter of slain national independence hero General Aung San has spent much of her life since the late 1980s under house arrest for leading pro-democracy movements.
“She remains completely cut off from the rest of the world. I think she ignores what’s going on outside of where she is because she doesn’t have access to newspapers, radio or television,” Aris said. “She was imprisoned for five years on trumped-up, politically motivated charges and she should be free.”
Ruled for decades by generals and suffering under Western sanctions, Myanmar enjoyed a brief democratic moment after Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed to run in the 2015 election that her party won overwhelmingly. She assumed the role of “state advisor” under a civil-military power-sharing agreement.
Its international reputation was quickly tarnished after the massacres and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims in 2016-2017. Aung San Suu Kyi visited the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where she said she recognized that military units may have used “disproportionate force” but defended the government against accusations of genocide.
Aris said her mother was never “silent” about the Rohingya crisis and what she said on the issue “could fill volumes.” Under his leadership, Myanmar launched a national investigation and appointed former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to head a commission.
He added that as state counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi “always walked a tightrope,” knowing the military could strip her of her fragile power at any time.
“The nascent, hard-won democracy she was trying to lead was hanging by a thread,” he said. “The military could have taken over at any time, and they were doing their best to make my mother’s situation even more difficult and weaken her position. And I think in that regard they did a very good job.”
The military’s takeover in 2021 sparked a civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people, according to conflict observers.
Aris said the level of global public support for his mother had “incredibly declined” since the Rohingya crisis and that the entire country was now suffering from a lack of international attention. Even though many governments have called for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release, she is not being treated like the beloved international figure she once was.
“No matter my mother, the fact that people are ignorant of what is happening in Burma should not be because of what was done to the Rohingya,” he said, using the country’s former name. “And that seems to be the case sometimes, that people say, ‘Oh, well, look at how the Rohingya have been treated. We can ignore what’s happening in Burma.'”
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