Myanmar ex-leader held in isolation for five years, son says
Kim Aris spoke by phone with his 81-year-old mother for the first time since 2021, reporting she is healthy but cut off from the world in Naypyidaw.
By Yasmin Duda ·
Aung San Suu Kyi, the 81-year-old former leader of Myanmar, has been held in near-total isolation for five years, according to her son Kim Aris. The revelation comes after Aris completed his first telephone conversation with her since the military coup deposed her government in 2021. He said she appears physically strong and mentally sharp, though she remains confined to an unspecified location in the capital.
First, Aris confirmed that his mother is in good physical and mental condition. During the call, he noted that she still sounds "certainly all there mentally" and "strong" physically. He stated that he does not believe she has any companions other than military or police personnel. This arrangement means she has effectively been held in solitary confinement for the past five years.
Second, the former Nobel Peace Prize laureate is being kept in a fenced-off residence in Naypyidaw. Aris said he is not certain of the exact location but believes it is a specific compound with scrubby land surrounding it. He described the setting as a place where she is completely shut off from the rest of the world. The military has not released a precise address for her detention.
Third, Aris characterized the phone call as part of a public relations strategy by the current military leadership. He was permitted to speak to her on Thursday at the Myanmar embassy in London. He welcomed the opportunity but said the invitation was part of a campaign to project stability. The former junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, has recently shifted from military fatigues to civilian clothes following elections that observers widely criticized.
Activists have long demanded proof of life for Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. In August, she was photographed during a visit from the Red Cross. Last week, a government spokesperson released images of her smiling in a wood-panelled room. Officials in the photos handed her two gardening books, which were gifts from King Charles of Britain. A paper calendar on the wall behind her displayed the date. Aris described such photo opportunities as familiar stunts the regime uses to suggest fair treatment.
Suu Kyi was deposed in the 2021 military coup after a brief period of democratic rule. She served as state counsellor following the 2015 election, which her party won overwhelmingly. Her international standing faced scrutiny 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 accusations of genocide.
Aris said his mother was never silent on the Rohingya crisis and that her explanations could fill volumes. Under her leadership, Myanmar began a domestic inquiry and appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to lead a commission. He noted that she was always walking on a tightrope, knowing the military could remove her fragile power at any time. The army worked to undermine her position before the final takeover.
The 2021 takeover triggered a civil war that conflict monitors say has killed more than 100,000 people. Aris said global public support for his mother has dwindled since the Rohingya crisis. He argued that the country now suffers from a lack of international attention. Using the country's former name, he said the fact that people ignore what is happening in Burma shouldn't be down to what was being done to the Rohingya.
Source: The Guardian
