Myanmar’s Suu Kyi Speaks To Son After 5 Years, Raises Health Concerns

Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi spoke to her son, Kim Aris, for the first time in more than five years, raising fresh concerns about her health and the conditions of her confinement. The 20-minute telephone conversation took place on Thursday, October 22, connecting Aris at Myanmar’s embassy in London with his 81-year-old mother in Naypyitaw, the country’s capital.

“She sounds like herself, and still sounds strong,” Aris told The Associated Press on Friday, although he described her voice as slightly hoarse. Despite her own difficulties, Suu Kyi began the conversation by asking whether he was looking after himself, reflecting the concern she continued to show for her family.

However, Aris remained worried about her physical condition, particularly severe pain in her right hand. He suspects she has tendonitis, which sometimes leaves her unable to use the hand. Although Suu Kyi reportedly described herself as being in good health, she receives medical checkups from military doctors every six months, whose assessments her son said he does not fully trust.

Suu Kyi has been detained since February 2021, when the military coup led by Min Aung Hlaing ousted her elected government. She is serving an 18-year sentence under house arrest after spending much of her detention in prison. Supporters and human rights groups have described the charges against her as politically motivated.

Although authorities announced her transfer to house arrest in April 2026, her exact location and living conditions remain unclear. Aris believes she has effectively experienced solitary confinement, with few privileges and limited access to the outside world. He also indicated that she receives little or no news through newspapers, television or radio.

The call followed another rare development earlier this week, when Myanmar’s military-backed government announced the delivery of two gardening books, a sealed envelope and diplomatic correspondence sent by King Charles III of Britain.

Aris, who has campaigned internationally for his mother’s release, previously completed an 81-kilometre skateboarding marathon in London in June to mark her birthday and raise funds for humanitarian aid to Myanmar. He had also demanded evidence that she was alive amid years of limited information about her condition.

The International Committee of the Red Cross reportedly gained access to Suu Kyi through a representative in August, marking another rare contact with an independent international humanitarian organisation.

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s civil war continues, with the military fighting pro-democracy resistance groups and ethnic armed organisations.