Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to son after over five years in Myanmar detention

Kim Aris spoke with his 81-year-old mother, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Thursday via telephone from Myanmar's embassy in London. The military junta, which has maintained tight control over the Nobel laureate's communications, granted the exceptional permission for the limited call. According to Aris, his mother remained in good spirits despite her prolonged confinement. "She sounds like herself, and still sounds strong," he said, noting only that her voice was slightly hoarse, as though she were recovering from a cold.

Suu Kyi has remained in detention since February 2021, when Myanmar's military dissolved her elected government in a coup d'état. Held in near-total isolation in the capital, she is serving an 18-year prison sentence on charges that international human rights organisations and her supporters contend are politically motivated and without legal merit. The restrictions on her communications have kept her largely incommunicado throughout her detention.

The phone call represents a rare moment of contact for the imprisoned politician and her family abroad. Suu Kyi's detention has drawn international criticism, with numerous governments and rights groups calling for her release. Her case has become emblematic of the broader humanitarian crisis in Myanmar following the military takeover and subsequent crackdown on dissent and civil resistance.