Myanmar Detainee Told Son She Faces 18 More Years in Isolation

For the first time in nearly six years, Kim Aris heard his mother’s voice on Thursday. The 20-minute call from Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, confirmed to him that she is still alive and physically present in the capital region. It also revealed the harsh reality of her remaining sentence: she has 18 years left to serve.

The detention began immediately after the military coup in 2021 that toppled the government Suu Kyi led. Consecutive trials through 2022 resulted in a total 33-year sentence for corruption and electoral fraud charges, which Western nations and human rights groups have widely labeled as fabricated. The sentence was later reduced, leaving the current 18-year term. Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has been held in solitary confinement since that initial seizure of power.

Aris, a 49-year-old carpenter living in London, described the call as a source of reassurance. His mother’s first words were a question about his health. He told her the family was well and asked about her condition. She reported suffering from tendonitis in her hand, which sometimes renders it unusable. She receives a health checkup every six months, he said. Aris is preparing a care package containing a mix of healthy food and treats, considering a brand of cookies from Oxford, England, where Suu Kyi raised her sons before moving to Myanmar in 1988.

Khaing Khaing Soe, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s military-backed president, stated on social media that the call was arranged through the Myanmar Embassy in London. He shared separate photographs of the mother and son. Aris believes the military monitored the conversation, making it difficult to discuss sensitive topics like the ongoing civil war. He suspects the regime is using the call to improve its public image.

According to Aris, Suu Kyi is held at a residence near the capital, Naypyidaw. He believes police and military personnel surround the building, which is fenced off with a scrubby garden she is allowed to use. She can read books but likely lacks access to news via radio, television, or newspapers. This isolation mirrors her house arrest in Yangon between 1989 and 2010, during which the regime photographed parcels sent to her for propaganda use.

The coup has triggered a civil war that has killed approximately 100,000 people, according to the monitoring group ACLED. The U.N. reports that millions have been displaced. ACLED notes that the military has sharply escalated attacks on civilians since Min Aung Hlaing became president in January following a military-engineered election. Hlaing, who remains under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses including the 2016-2017 killings of Rohingya Muslims, is currently traveling abroad seeking legitimacy.

Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the exiled National Unity Government, said the regime dares not release Suu Kyi because her strength would combine with the revolution. Richard Horsey of the International Crisis Group called her status the most valuable card Hlaing holds, warning she could become a bargaining chip while airstrikes continue. He said her release is very unlikely and would not by itself end the war.

The U.S. State Department expressed concern over those it considers unjustly detained and urged the military to hold genuine dialogue with opposition groups. In August, its Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs called for Suu Kyi’s immediate and unconditional release. Aris said the call may be a one-off event. Suu Kyi believes she gives the people of Burma strength by sharing what they are going through.