Kim Aris says mother Aung San Suu Kyi sounds strong but remains isolated in Naypyidaw
The son of Myanmar’s former state counsellor spoke by phone with her for the first time in five years, describing her health as good while detailing her confinement in a fenced residence.
By Luana Sato ·
Kim Aris stood outside the Myanmar embassy in London on Thursday, where he was granted a rare chance to speak with his mother. Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, has not been heard from publicly in years, but Aris said her voice sounded clear and her mind sharp during their conversation. He confirmed she appears physically strong and mentally intact, offering the first direct update on her condition since her removal from power in 2021.
The former state counsellor was deposed in a military coup and subsequently moved to an unspecified location in the capital. Aris believes she is currently held in a fenced-off residence in Naypyidaw, surrounded by scrubby land. He stated he does not believe she has any non-military personnel around her, meaning she has essentially been held in solitary confinement for five years.
Aris, who has lived in the UK for most of his adult life, described the phone call as a calculated move by the current leadership. He viewed the invitation as part of a public relations campaign rather than a genuine gesture of transparency. The junta, led by former chief Min Aung Hlaing, has been working to rebuild diplomatic ties abroad. In April, Hlaing switched from military fatigues to civilian clothes following elections that many observers condemned as a sham.
Activists have long demanded proof of life for Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. The military released new images of her last week, showing her smiling in a wood-paneled room while officials handed her two gardening books. The gifts were presented as presents from King Charles of Britain. A calendar on the wall behind her confirmed the date of the photograph, a detail Aris noted is a tactic the regime has used before to suggest fair treatment.
Aris said his mother remains completely cut off from the outside world. She is not permitted access to newspapers, radio, or television. He criticized the charges against her as trumped up and politically motivated, arguing that after five years of confinement, she should be free. Her isolation stands in contrast to the brief democratic period she led after her party won a landslide victory in the 2015 election.
Her international standing faced challenges after the 2016 and 2017 mass killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims. At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, she acknowledged that military units may have used disproportionate force while defending her government against genocide accusations. Aris said his mother was never silent on the crisis and that her actions, including appointing former UN chief Kofi Annan to lead a domestic inquiry, could fill volumes.
He described her tenure as a constant balancing act, noting that the military worked to undermine her fragile power within the civilian-military power-sharing arrangement. 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.
Using the country's former name, he said the fact that people ignore what is happening in Burma should not be attributed solely to the Rohingya issue. The phone call marks the first contact in over five years, ending a period of total silence during which Aung San Suu Kyi has been held in what her son describes as near-total isolation.
Min Aung Hlaing’s shift in attire and the release of the new photographs coincide with Aris’s comments, suggesting a coordinated effort to manage the narrative around the former leader’s fate. The military has not responded to Aris’s specific descriptions of her current living conditions or her mental state. The next public appearance or update on her status remains undetermined, with the junta continuing to control the flow of information.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s confinement continues under charges related to the 2021 coup. Her son’s account provides a personal perspective on her daily reality, emphasizing the lack of visitors and the restrictive environment of her residence in Naypyidaw. The details of her health and isolation offer a concrete picture of the conditions faced by Myanmar’s most prominent political figure.
