Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi reports good health after five years

Aung San Suu Kyi, the 81-year-old former leader of Myanmar, is in good physical and mental condition but remains in near-total isolation, her son said Friday. Kim Aris confirmed the update after speaking with his mother by phone for the first time in more than five years. The call took place on Thursday at the Myanmar embassy in London.

Aris described his mother as mentally alert and physically strong. He stated that he does not believe anyone other than military or police personnel is present with her. Consequently, he assessed that she has effectively been held in solitary confinement since her removal from power.

The former Nobel Peace Prize laureate was deposed in a military coup in 2021. She was subsequently moved to an unspecified location in the capital. Aris believes she is currently held in a fenced-off residence in Naypyidaw, surrounded by scrubby land. He noted that the exact location remains unknown to the public.

Aris, who lives in the United Kingdom, characterized the invitation to speak with his mother as part of a public relations campaign by the military leaders. General Min Aung Hlaing, the former head of the junta, has sought to rebuild diplomatic ties. In April, he switched from military fatigues to civilian clothes following elections that critics widely condemned as a sham.

Government officials released images of Suu Kyi last week, showing her smiling in a wood-panelled room. The photos captured the moment officials handed her two gardening books as gifts from King Charles of Britain. A paper calendar on the wall behind her displayed the current date. Aris described these visual releases as familiar stunts used by the regime to suggest fair treatment.

He stated that Suu Kyi remains shut off from the rest of the world, lacking access to newspapers, radio, or television. Aris argued that she has been detained for five years on politically motivated charges and should be released. She was previously photographed during a Red Cross visit in August, providing another instance of official media exposure.

Suu Kyi led Myanmar during a brief democratic period after her party won the 2015 election overwhelmingly. She served as state counsellor under a power-sharing arrangement with the military. Her international standing was affected by the mass killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims in 2016 and 2017. She defended her government against genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, acknowledging that military units might have used disproportionate force.

Aris said his mother was never silent on the Rohingya crisis and that her statements on the issue could fill volumes. He noted that she appointed former United Nations chief Kofi Annan to lead a domestic inquiry. The civil war triggered by the 2021 takeover has killed more than 100,000 people, according to conflict monitors. Aris observed that global support for his mother has dwindled since the crisis, leaving the country with a lack of international attention.