Suu Kyi Speaks to Son for First Time Since 2021 Coup
The 20-minute call was arranged through Myanmar's embassy in London, the first contact between the two since the military seized power.
By Hiroshi Ferrari ·
Myanmar's military detained Aung San Suu Kyi for 18 more years. The 81-year-old leader conveyed that timeline to her son Kim Aris during a 20-minute phone call on Thursday, their first conversation since the February 2021 coup toppled the government she led. It was also their first direct contact in nearly six years.
Aris, 49, lives in London and works as a carpenter. He told NPR that his mother opened by asking about his health. "My mother is actually alive and well," Aris said. "Hearing her voice has reassured me." He said she sounded strong but reported considerable pain from tendonitis in her hand, which at times she cannot use. She told him she receives a health checkup every six months.
Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Courts sentenced her in 2021 and through 2022 on corruption and electoral fraud charges, reaching a combined 33 years. The sentence was later reduced. The United States, Western governments and human rights groups have called the charges fabricated.
Khaing Khaing Soe, a spokesperson for Myanmar's military-backed president, wrote on social media that Myanmar's embassy in London arranged the call and posted separate photographs of mother and son. Aris said he believes the military monitored the line, so topics including the civil war stayed off limits.
From the call, Aris learned his mother is held at a residence in or around Naypyidaw, the capital. He believes police and military personnel surround a fenced building with a scrubby garden she can probably use. "From what I can ascertain, she's basically being held in solitary confinement even if she's not in a prison cell," he said. He does not think she has access to radio, television or newspapers, though she can read books.
The coup set off a war that has killed about 100,000 people, according to the monitoring group ACLED, and the United Nations says millions have been displaced. ACLED reports a sharp rise in military attacks on civilians since Min Aung Hlaing became president after a military-engineered election in January. He is under U.S. sanctions for abuses that Washington has declared a genocide against Rohingya Muslims in 2016 and 2017. The U.S. State Department has again called for Suu Kyi's immediate and unconditional release.
Richard Horsey of the International Crisis Group called her status "potentially the most valuable card Min Aung Hlaing holds" and said her release is very unlikely. Aris said the call may be a one-off. His mother told him she gives the people of Burma strength by sharing what they go through.
