Myanmar's former leader: Kim Aris reports mother is in good health after five years of isolation

The military government in Myanmar has maintained a tight grip on its former leader for half a decade, using her confinement as a tool in a shifting diplomatic strategy. On Thursday, Aung San Suu Kyi spoke by telephone with her son for the first time since the 2021 coup, offering a rare glimpse into her condition after more than five years of silence.

Kim Aris, who lives in the United Kingdom, was granted permission to call his mother at the Myanmar embassy in London. He described her as mentally sharp and physically strong, stating, "She still sounds certainly all there mentally, and physically she sounds strong." Aris believes she is held in near-total solitary confinement, with only military or police personnel around her.

The 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate was deposed in February 2021 and has since been moved to an unspecified location in the capital, Naypyidaw. Aris said he suspects she is in a fenced-off residence surrounded by scrubby land, though he has not confirmed the exact site. He has been kept in the dark about her whereabouts for the entire period of her detention.

The timing of the call coincides with a diplomatic push by former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. In April, Hlaing swapped his military fatigues for civilian clothes following elections that were widely criticized as a sham. Aris viewed the phone call as part of a "public relations" campaign designed to soften the image of the military leadership abroad.

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-panelled room while officials handed over two gardening books as gifts from Britain's King Charles. A paper calendar on the wall behind her displayed the date.

Aris described these photo opportunities as familiar stunts used by the regime to suggest fair treatment. He noted that Suu Kyi is cut off from the outside world, with no access to newspapers, radio, or television. He argued she has been locked up for five years on "trumped-up, politically motivated charges" and should be free.

Suu Kyi rose to power after her party won the 2015 election overwhelmingly, serving as state counsellor under a civilian-military power-sharing arrangement. Her international standing was tested in 2016 and 2017 by the mass killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims. At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, she acknowledged that military units might have used "disproportionate force" but defended the government against accusations of genocide.

Aris countered that his mother was never silent on the Rohingya crisis and that her comments on the issue "could fill volumes." He noted that under her leadership, Myanmar began a domestic inquiry and appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to lead a commission. He also said she was "always walking on a tightrope" as state counsellor, knowing the military could remove her fragile power at any time.

The 2021 takeover triggered a civil war that conflict monitors say has killed more than 100,000 people. Aris said global public support for his mother has "dwindled incredibly" since the Rohingya crisis, and that the country now suffers from a lack of international attention. He stated, "The fact that people ignore what's happening in Burma shouldn't be down to what was being done to the Rohingya."

The military government continues to manage the narrative around Suu Kyi's detention. The next step in the diplomatic process involves further engagement with international partners, with the regime likely to use her perceived good health as a talking point in upcoming negotiations.