Former Myanmar leader remains in isolation after five years, son says

Aung San Suu Kyi, the 81-year former leader of Myanmar, is living in near-complete isolation in the capital, Naypyidaw, according to her son. Kim Aris made the assessment after a telephone conversation held on Thursday, marking the first time he has spoken with his mother in more than five years. He stated that she appears to be in good physical and mental condition but is surrounded only by military or police personnel.

"She still sounds certainly all there mentally, and physically she sounds strong," Aris said. He added that he believes she has essentially been held in solitary confinement. The former Nobel Peace Prize laureate was deposed in a military coup in 2021 and has since been moved to an unspecified location in the capital. Aris thinks she is held in a fenced-off residence with a patch of scrubby land around it, though he is not certain of the exact site.

Aris, who lives in the United Kingdom, was permitted to speak with his mother at the Myanmar embassy in London. He said the invitation was part of a public relations campaign by the country's military leaders. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has sought to rebuild diplomatic ties abroad. In April, Hlaing switched from military fatigues to civilian clothes following elections that were widely criticized as a sham.

Activists have long demanded proof of life for Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. In August, she was photographed during a Red Cross visit. Last week, a government spokesperson released images of her smiling in a wood-paneled room while officials presented her with two gardening books from Britain's King Charles. A paper calendar on the wall behind her showed the date. Aris described such photo opportunities as familiar stunts used by the regime to suggest fair treatment.

"She remains completely shut off from the rest of the world," Aris said, noting she is not allowed newspapers, radio, or television. "She's been locked up for five years on trumped-up, politically motivated charges and she should be free." Suu Kyi has spent much of her life in house arrest for leading pro-democracy movements since the late 1980s. She served as state counsellor after her party won the 2015 election in a brief democratic opening.

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 2016 and 2017 mass killings of Rohingya Muslims. He noted that Suu Kyi was never silent on the crisis and that what she said about it could fill volumes. Under her leadership, Myanmar began a domestic inquiry and appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to lead a commission.

Aris added that his mother was always walking on a tightrope as state counsellor, knowing the military could remove her fragile power at any time. He said the army worked to undermine her position. Using the country's former name, he stated that the fact that people ignore what is happening in Burma should not be attributed solely to the treatment of the Rohingya. The next scheduled development is not specified, but Aris continues to monitor her status from the United Kingdom.