Kim Aris walked into his mother’s country’s London embassy on Thursday with British diplomats at his side and a phone call he had waited more than five years for. Shortly after lunchtime in Myanmar, the line opened to Aung San Suu Kyi, his mother, who is held under house arrest. They were given 20 minutes.
Speaking to AFP afterwards, Aris said she seemed “fairly healthy” and that her first concern was whether he was well. Talking to RFA, the US-funded broadcaster, he added a less reassuring detail: the 81-year-old suffers from tendonitis that at times leaves her unable to use one hand, and her only regular medical care is a check-up by a military doctor every six months. Neither of them touched on politics. Both knew the conversation was being monitored and recorded, so they caught up on family life instead.
Suu Kyi has been detained since the army seized power in February 2021 and is serving an 18-year sentence. According to the foreign ministry in Naypyidaw, the rest of that term has been served since 30 April as confinement in an assigned home rather than a prison. The ministry described the call as a humanitarian gesture arranged under Red Cross procedures and approved by the president.
The call capped an unusual week of publicity. On Monday, officials released photos of the Nobel peace laureate receiving books and a sealed letter from King Charles III. Analysts read the steady stream of updates as an attempt by the generals to shed their status as international outcasts.
Her son is not convinced anything fundamental has changed. He says he remains deeply worried about her wellbeing and hopes she will be released soon.
