Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s ousted leader, currently languishes in detention and faces dire health risks due to severe gum disease, which has rendered her unable to eat after enduring over two years behind bars. Her son, Kim Aris, expresses profound concerns about her well-being, emphasizing his sense of powerlessness to provide assistance.
At 78 years old, Aung San Suu Kyi’s health has deteriorated significantly while in detention. She has been denied access to medical care despite her inability to walk at one point, persistent episodes of vomiting, dizziness, and potential issues with her wisdom teeth, according to Aris.
The absence of any contact with Aung San Suu Kyi since her detainment by the military in February 2021 has left Aris feeling powerless. In stark contrast, during previous periods of her detention, he could communicate with her and occasionally visit her.
Aris recalls, “Not having any contact whatsoever over the last two-and-a-half years has been tough. I do feel somewhat powerless.” He notes that prior to 2010, during her longest period of detention, the military authorities permitted him to spend time with his mother and send care packages and letters. However, these basic human rights have been denied over the past two-and-a-half years.
Aung San Suu Kyi has made only one public appearance since the 2021 coup, captured in images from a courtroom in Naypyidaw. Regrettably, she is not allowed to meet with her lawyer.
Thailand’s outgoing foreign minister, Don Pramudwinai, claimed to have had access to Aung San Suu Kyi in July and reported that she was in good health, advocating for dialogue to resolve the crisis. Aris dismisses this account as “another programme of disinformation” orchestrated by the military.
He is skeptical of reports suggesting that she has been moved to house arrest, asserting that she remains confined in the notorious Insein prison. Despite her age, Aung San Suu Kyi has refused any preferential treatment in line with her political principles, thereby exposing herself to greater risks.
Aris appeals to the military, urging them to release his mother, or at the very least, facilitate urgent medical treatment by her doctor. He emphasizes the urgency of the situation, stating, “The world can no longer turn a blind eye while letting the military continue their now well-documented brutality against their own citizens with impunity.”
Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention has been widely condemned, with the UN Security Council passing a resolution calling for her release and an end to violence. In August, the military granted her a partial pardon, reducing her sentence slightly, but Aris views this as an attempt to improve the regime’s international image and underscores the imperative need for his mother to receive medical attention.
The plight of Aung San Suu Kyi is emblematic of the challenging circumstances faced by political detainees in Myanmar, and it highlights the urgent need for international attention and intervention to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.
