Kim Aris Breaks Five-Year Silence with Detained Mother Aung San Suu Kyi

The son of Myanmar’s detained former democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has spoken with her for the first time in more than five years, marking a rare personal breakthrough during years of isolation.

“Today, I was finally able to speak with my mother, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, after more than five years. Hearing her voice again means more than words can express,” Kim Aris shared in a post on Facebook on Thursday.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest in the capital, Naypyidaw, since she was ousted in the February 2021 military coup that ended a decade-long experiment with democracy in Myanmar.

Images accompanying Aris’s social media post appeared to show him standing outside the Myanmar embassy in London, where he resides in the United Kingdom.

“I am deeply grateful to everyone who has stood by my mother and me. I believe your voices helped make this moment possible,” the post stated. “But my mother is 81 and remains unjustly detained. One conversation is not regular family access.”

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was held in near-total seclusion for five years following the 2021 coup. However, in recent months, Myanmar’s military authorities have increasingly publicized the gradual easing of her confinement, releasing photographs of her private meetings as supporters demanded “proof of life” for the octogenarian leader.

Earlier this week, authorities confirmed that Aung San Suu Kyi received a package from Britain’s King Charles, which included two books on soil and a “sealed diplomatic communication” from the monarch. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the details of the message.

Myanmar authorities announced her transfer from prison to house arrest in April, and in August, they released images of her meeting with a representative of the nation’s Red Cross.

Min Aung Hlaing, the military chief who led the 2021 coup ousting Aung San Suu Kyi, ruled Myanmar as military chief for five years before being installed as civilian president earlier this year following a widely criticized election.

Analysts described the election as a charade, suggesting that the military leadership might be easing restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi as part of a broader effort to gain international legitimacy and credibility.

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