Suu Kyi sounds strong after five years of silence, son says

Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, sounds physically strong and mentally sharp after more than five years of silence, her son reported on Friday. Kim Aris made the assessment after a telephone conversation with the former Myanmar leader that took place Thursday at the Myanmar embassy in London. It was their first direct communication since the 2021 military coup that removed her from power.

Aris stated that his mother appears to be in good health but lives in near-complete isolation. He believes she is held in a fenced-off residence in Naypyidaw, the country's capital, with scrubby land surrounding the property. Aris said he does not think anyone other than military or police personnel is present with her. He characterized the situation as solitary confinement based on the information he gathered during the call.

The call occurred during a period when the military government is attempting to rebuild diplomatic ties. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing switched from military fatigues to civilian attire in April following elections that many observers called a sham. Aris viewed the invitation to speak with his mother as part of a public relations campaign by the leaders in Naypyidaw. He described the photo opportunities the regime uses to suggest fair treatment as familiar stunts.

Last week, a government spokesperson released images of Suu Kyi smiling in a wood-panelled room. Officials in the photos handed her two gardening books given by King Charles of Britain. A paper calendar on the wall behind her displayed the date. Aris noted that such images are typical of the regime's efforts to manage its image. He contrasted these controlled glimpses with the reality of her confinement, noting that she is cut off from newspapers, radio, and television.

"She remains completely shut off from the rest of the world," Aris said. He added that she has been locked up for five years on charges he described as trumped-up and politically motivated. He called for her release, arguing that her continued detention keeps Myanmar in the international spotlight through her absence rather than its current conditions.

Suu Kyi has spent much of her life in house arrest since the late 1980s for leading pro-democracy movements. She became state counsellor after her party won a landslide victory in the 2015 election. Her international standing faced criticism after the 2016 and 2017 mass killings of Rohingya Muslims, though Aris defended her handling of the crisis. He said she was never silent on the issue and that the military worked to undermine her fragile position under the 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. He argued that the international community's lack of attention to Myanmar's current state should not be attributed to past events. He used the country's former name, Burma, to emphasize the scale of the ongoing conflict that has drawn fewer eyes than the detention of a former Nobel Peace Prize laureate.