Kim Aris, the younger son of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, expressed growing concern about his mother’s health and the political crisis in Myanmar. In an interview with the Associated Press on September 13, Aris, who resides in London, emphasized his desire for some form of communication with his imprisoned mother to ensure her well-being since she currently lacks access to her legal counsel.
“She has no access to her personal doctors. She’s not allowed any visitors, as far as I’m aware. She’s not even allowed to mingle with the other prisoners, which means she’s basically under a form of solitary confinement,” Aris, 46, added.
Aris told the Associated Press that he had not been allowed to speak to his mother at all for over two and a half years now. “I’ve always tried to avoid speaking to the media and (have been) avoiding social media all my life. But the situation in Burma (the former name of Myanmar) at the moment is absolutely desperate,” he said.
Aris also said, “If only 2% of what has been given to the Ukrainian forces had been given to the resistance forces in Burma, the situation would be very different now.”
“So now I’m doing all I can to try and help the situation and bring awareness of this situation to the wider world,” Aris further told the news agency.
‘Suu Kyi extremely ill, unable to eat’
Aris said he heard that his mother has been extremely ill and has been suffering from gum problems and was unable to eat. “She was suffering from bouts of dizziness and vomiting and couldn’t walk at one stage.”
Aung Sang Suu Kyi, 78, was arrested in 2021 when the junta seized power from her democratically elected government. Since then, she has been prosecuted and convicted on more than a dozen charges for offences. The 78-year-old is serving a sentence of 27 years and there chance that she might not see her family again.
Many countries have called for the release of the ousted leader and thousands of other political prisoners.
Aris said on Wednesday that he had spoken with Britain’s foreign ministry, but he said there was little the government could do because they did not have a working relationship with the junta.