▲ A photo of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi released by the Myanmar government on May 30 (local time)
The son of Aung San Suu Kyi (81), the leader of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement, claims that his mother has not been transferred to house arrest, contrary to the government's announcement in late April, and remains in prison.
According to Japan's Kyodo News on June 29 (local time), Kim Aris (48), the son of Suu Kyi, stated in a recent media interview from his home in London, UK, that his mother has not been moved to house arrest.
He added that there is no evidence of such a transfer and that he believes Suu Kyi is still being held at a prison in the capital, Naypyidaw.
Previously, the Myanmar government announced on April 30 that it was transferring Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest.
Following that announcement, it was reported that she would serve the remainder of her sentence at a designated residence rather than in prison.
At the time, the Myanmar government also released photos of Suu Kyi, the first in five years, alongside the announcement of her transfer to house arrest.
However, Aris urged the Myanmar government to provide proof that she is still alive, stating, "The only news we have heard regarding my mother's health is that her condition is deteriorating."
Aris made these claims based on information obtained from a former inmate who had been released from Naypyidaw Prison, adding that the prison conditions are "pretty horrific."
He said that Suu Kyi is currently suffering from heart disease as well as various age-related ailments, including osteoporosis, and noted that the last direct communication he received from his mother was a letter sent over two years ago.
The Myanmar military seized power after staging a coup in February 2021, claiming that the 2020 general election, in which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory, was fraudulent.
According to a report by the human rights group Amnesty International, the military has killed over 6,000 people and arbitrarily detained more than 20,000 since the coup.
Since losing power and being arrested by the military, Suu Kyi has been held in isolation for over five years.
She was initially sentenced to 33 years in prison on charges including election fraud and corruption; although her sentence has been reduced several times, it is reported that she still has about 18 years left to serve.
Min Aung Hlaing, who served as the commander-in-chief of the military junta following the coup, assumed the presidency after the military won a landslide victory in a general election held earlier this year that effectively excluded opposition parties.
(Photo: AFP, Yonhap News)
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