Myanmar Military Arranges Rare Call Between Detained Suu Kyi and Son

Kim Aris spoke by phone with his mother, former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, for 20 minutes on Thursday. This marked their first direct conversation since the military seized power in 2021. The call was arranged through Myanmar's Embassy in London, according to Khaing Khaing Soe, a spokesperson for the military-backed president.

Aris, a 49-year-old carpenter based in London, described the interaction to NPR in a phone interview. He stated that Suu Kyi's first words were a question about his health. He passed on the family's love and asked about her well-being. "My mother is actually alive and well," Aris said. "Hearing her voice has reassured me."

The former leader, who is 81 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, faces a reduced sentence of 18 years. She was originally sentenced to 33 years in consecutive trials between 2021 and 2022 on corruption and electoral fraud charges. The U.S., Western nations, and human rights groups have broadly condemned these charges as fabricated. Aris learned during the call that she is held in a residence near the capital, Naypyidaw. He described the location as fenced off with a scrubby garden, noting that she is effectively in solitary confinement despite not being in a prison cell.

Health concerns have long worried the family. Aris said his mother sounded strong but suffers from considerable pain due to tendonitis in her hand, which sometimes renders it unusable. She receives a health checkup every six months. Aris plans to send a care package containing a mix of healthy food and treats, considering Ben's Cookies from Oxford, England. She does not have access to news via radio, television, or newspapers, though she can read books.

Aris believes the military monitored the call, keeping sensitive topics like the civil war off limits. He views the contact as an image-building effort for coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who was installed as president after a military-engineered election in January. Hlaing is currently traveling abroad to seek legitimacy while under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses. The sanctions reference the 2016-2017 killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims, which Washington has declared a genocide.

The coup 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 states the military has escalated attacks on civilians since Hlaing became president. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the exiled National Unity Government, believes the regime dare not release Suu Kyi because her strength would combine with the revolution.

Richard Horsey of the International Crisis Group called her status potentially the most valuable card Hlaing holds. He warned she could become a bargaining chip while airstrikes continue, stating her release is very unlikely and would not end the war alone. The U.S. State Department said it remains concerned about unjustly detained individuals and urged the military to hold genuine dialogue with all opposition groups. In August, its Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs called for Suu Kyi's immediate and unconditional release.