Son of Aung San Suu Kyi says had first call in five years
"My mother is 81 and remains unjustly detained. One conversation is not regular family access," said Kim Aris of his mother, Aung San Suu Kyi.
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YANGON: The son of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi said he spoke on Thursday (Oct 22) to the detained former democratic leader for the first time in more than five years.
Aung San Suu Kyi is under house arrest in the capital, Naypyidaw, according to Myanmar authorities, where she has been sequestered since being unseated in a 2021 military coup.
News of the conversation between the 81-year-old and her son, Kim Aris, was the second rare update on Aung San Suu Kyi this week, after Myanmar authorities on Monday published pictures of her receiving a package sent by Britain's King Charles III.
"Today, I was finally able to speak with my mother, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, after more than five years. Hearing her voice again means more than words can express," said Aris, who lives in Britain, on Facebook.
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Myanmar's presidential spokeswoman released photographs of Aung San Suu Kyi and Aris speaking into telephones, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate sitting under a calendar marked with Thursday's date.
A statement said the pair had a "consular telephone conversation" for 20 minutes starting at 2.30pm (4pm, Singapore time), and that Aris had taken the call from Myanmar's embassy in London.
AFP could not immediately reach Aris for details of their talk.
"I am deeply grateful to everyone who has stood by my mother and me. I believe your voices helped make this moment possible," Aris wrote.
"But my mother is 81 and remains unjustly detained. One conversation is not regular family access."
ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus
Following a 2021 military coup, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has excluded Myanmar from high-level meetings as it has yet to make meaningful progress on the bloc's Five-Point Consensus to end hostilities.
During a meeting in April 2021, all ASEAN leaders reached a consensus about the situation in Myanmar.
The five points are:
First, there shall be immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and all parties shall exercise utmost restraint.
Second, constructive dialogue among all parties concerned shall commence to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people.
Third, a special envoy of the ASEAN chair shall facilitate mediation of the dialogue process, with the assistance of the secretary-general of ASEAN.
Fourth, ASEAN shall provide humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre.
Fifth, the special envoy and delegation shall visit Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned.
"EXTRACT CONCESSIONS"
Myanmar's military held Aung San Suu Kyi in almost total seclusion for five years following the February 2021 coup, which ended a tentative decade-long experiment with democracy.
But in recent months authorities have increasingly advertised the loosening of her detention and published photographs of her taking private meetings, as supporters have demanded "proof of life" of the octogenarian.
Analysts say Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing - who, as military chief, ousted Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 - is seeking international legitimacy after being installed as the country's civilian president in April.
Despite criticism from democracy watchdogs that the election putting him in office was a charade, Min Aung Hlaing has made significant headway shaking off his post-coup pariah status.
He has been invited on numerous diplomatic trips to nations from the regional 11-bloc Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - where Aung San Suu Kyi's status has long been a sticking point.
Morgan Michaels, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told AFP authorities were "using" Aung San Suu Kyi "to extract concessions from members of the international community".
"But many within ASEAN and beyond want to see her release," he said. "These types of gestures are likely to be very well received even if they are insincere or tactical in nature."
BOOKS ABOUT SOIL
The coup ousting Aung San Suu Kyi also triggered a civil war in Myanmar, where Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent campaign for democracy.
Analysts have said reintroducing the pacifist Aung San Suu Kyi into politics may be a canny way to peel off support for pro-democracy rebels who rose up to challenge the military after the putsch.
Myanmar authorities said Aung San Suu Kyi was moved from a prison in Naypyidaw to house arrest in April, and in August they published images of her meeting the nation's Red Cross representative.
On Monday, authorities in Myanmar said she received a package from King Charles, including two books about soil and a "sealed diplomatic communication" from the monarch.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the announcement about the package.
Activist group Burma Campaign UK on Thursday accused the British government of "incrementally softening its approach towards the Burmese military regime".
It said the delivery of books to Aung San Suu Kyi via Myanmar authorities had handed a "propaganda opportunity to the Burmese military".
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