The son of Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has spoken to his mother for the first time in more than five years, offering a rare update on her condition while she remains under house arrest.
Kim Aris, who has received only sporadic second-hand information about his 81-year-old mother for years, confirmed on Thursday that they had spoken directly.
“Hearing her voice again means more to me than words can express,” Aris said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military-backed president said the conversation took place by telephone through Myanmar’s embassy in London. The spokesperson also shared separate photographs of mother and son.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been detained since February 2021, when Myanmar’s military overthrew her elected government and arrested civilian leaders during early-morning raids.
The coup triggered nationwide protests that later developed into an armed resistance movement, plunging the impoverished country into a civil war that has killed about 100,000 people and displaced millions.
In April, Suu Kyi was moved to house arrest after a military-engineered election resulted in coup leader Min Aung Hlaing becoming president.
She is serving an 18-year prison sentence for offences including incitement, corruption, election fraud and violating a state secrets law. She denies all the charges.
Despite the telephone conversation, Aris stressed that his mother remained unjustly detained and that a single call could not make up for the years of separation or restore her rights.
He called for regular, direct and private contact between Suu Kyi and her family, as well as independent access to medical care.
Uncertainty surrounding her health and well-being has raised concern among supporters and foreign governments for years.
In August, Suu Kyi met a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which Aris described at the time as a positive development.
Myanmar’s military-backed authorities also released rare photographs on Monday showing her meeting officials who delivered books and a letter from Britain’s King Charles.
Aris renewed his call for his mother and all political prisoners to be released without conditions.
“Freedom is not a favour to be granted or a concession to be negotiated,” he said.
