Suu Kyi son reports five-year isolation

Aung San Suu Kyi is in good physical and mental health but remains in near-total isolation, her son said Friday after their first conversation in more than five years.

Kim Aris, 50, spoke by phone with the 81-year former leader on Thursday at the Myanmar embassy in London. He described her as mentally sharp and physically strong, noting that she appears to be held in solitary confinement with only military or police personnel nearby.

Aris said he believes his mother is held at a fenced-off residence in Naypyidaw, surrounded by scrubby land, though he does not know the exact location. She has been detained since the military coup in February 2021 and is currently charged with several offenses, including money laundering and violating the official secrets act.

The call was arranged by the Myanmar government, which Aris characterized as a public relations effort. He said the military regime, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, has recently sought to rebuild diplomatic ties abroad. In April, Hlaing removed his military uniform in favor of civilian clothes following elections that many observers called a sham.

Activists have long sought proof of life for Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. In August, she was photographed during a Red Cross visit. Last week, a government spokesperson released images of her smiling in a wood-paneled room while officials presented two gardening books from King Charles III. A paper calendar on the wall displayed the date.

Aris described these photo opportunities as familiar tactics used by the regime to suggest fair treatment. He said his mother is not allowed newspapers, radio, or television. "She's been locked up for five years on trumped-up, politically motivated charges and she should be free," he said.

Suu Kyi served as state counsellor after her party won a landslide victory in 2015. Her international standing declined after mass killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims in 2016 and 2017. At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, she acknowledged that military units might have used disproportionate force but defended the government against genocide accusations.

Aris said his mother was never silent on the Rohingya crisis and that her statements on the issue could fill volumes. He noted that under her leadership, Myanmar began a domestic inquiry and appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to lead a commission. He added that she was always walking on a tightrope as state counsellor, knowing the military could remove her at any time.

The 2021 takeover triggered a civil war that conflict monitors say has killed more than 100,000 people. Aris said global support for his mother has dwindled since the Rohingya crisis, leaving the country with a lack of international attention. "The fact that people ignore what's happening in Burma shouldn't be down to what was being done to the Rohingya," he said.