There will be no birthday cakes, no flowers and no birthday cards today as Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi turns 79 as a prisoner of the Myanmar military junta. It will be the fourth birthday she has spent in solitude since her arrest by the junta in the early hours of Feb. 1, 2021, when the military staged a coup against the National League for Democracy government she led.
For Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, spending birthdays alone is nothing new; under previous military regimes she endured numerous periods of house arrest totaling almost 15 years, until late 2010. But her detention under the current junta is different. The regime remains tightlipped about her whereabouts, and has held her incommunicado since their kangaroo court handed her a total sentence of 27 years’ imprisonment. Given her advanced age, her health is a serious cause for concern for all those who love her—not least her youngest son, Kim Aris, who told The Irrawaddy he was worried about the circumstances of her current confinement, particularly due to her age of 79 and her existing health issues.
The 46-year-old has had no contact with his mother since the coup, apart from a thank you note that he received in January after sending her a care package.
“I have received no further communication from Maymay since the short letter,” he told The Irrawaddy, using the Burmese word for “Mom”.
In a wide-ranging interview on the occasion of his mother’s birthday, Kim Aris, whose Burmese name is Ko Htein Lin, discussed with The Irrawaddy his concerns for his mother, what he knows of her situation, his thoughts about his mother’s decades-long activism for Myanmar, the international community’s waning interest in Myanmar issues, and the fate of a pet dog he gave to his mother, among other things.
Your mother turns 79 on Wednesday but remains a prisoner of the Myanmar regime. How do you feel about it?
Since the military coup over three years ago, the time Maymay has served in prison, combined with the years she spent under house arrest during her peaceful struggle for democracy, means she has been incarcerated for close to a quarter of her life.
It is important to remember that all the charges against her were fabricated by a junta determined to regress Burma (Myanmar) back into the darkness, barbarity and corruption of authoritarian military rule, a rule that benefits none but the military elite and their cronies. As such, my mother’s story reflects that of her country. As stated by UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews: “State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi is a hostage, not a criminal. This proceeding [the junta’s trial of her] should not be confused with an actual trial, it is a theater of the absurd and a gross violation of human rights.”
A letter you received from your mother in January this year was your first message from her since her arrest. Have you received any further messages? What do you know about her current situation?
I have received no further communication from Maymay since the short letter I received in January this year, the only communication the junta have allowed with her family in three-and-a-half years. Previous statements by junta spokespeople regarding Maymay’s whereabouts have proved false. So, for as long as the junta deny requests by the UN and international community to see Maymay in person and independently verify her whereabouts, I can have no certainty as to where she is, the conditions under which she is being held, or the current state of her health.
However, we can be sure that despite the junta’s determination—born of an inhumanity that can only come from their own fear and insecurity—to keep her isolated from her family, the people of Burma, and the wider world, she knows our thoughts are with her.
You sent her a care package last year. Have you been doing this regularly?
The military allowed Maymay her first care package towards the end of last year. I have since sent her another, including medicines, which we believe she has received, although I have had no direct confirmation from her that this is the case.
You are now 46. How much of your life have you been able to spend with your mother, as she has been in Burma since 1988, mostly under house arrest? When was the last time you saw her?
I was 11 years old when Maymay was first placed under house arrest, spending the first weeks of her detention at 54 University Avenue [in Yangon] with her. I was also able to spend short periods of time with her during her brief periods of freedom between subsequent house arrests. After her release in 2010, I was able to spend longer periods of time with her in both Burma and during her visits to the UK and countries around the world, and regularly communicated by phone and letter until her unlawful arrest and imprisonment following the military coup of February 2021.
As a son, do you think she has been fair to you as a mother by spending most of her time away from her family?
I have always supported Maymay’s decision and commitment to achieving democracy and fundamental freedoms for her country and its people. While my mother has had to pay a high price for her peaceful protest and bringing democracy to her country, so many others in Burma, including millions of women and children, have had to endure far worse. In a world plagued by ongoing conflicts, many with roots firmly embedded in the past, and Burma now caught in a violent civil war, Maymay’s lifelong perspectives on peace have even more relevance: “My attitude to peace is based on the Burmese definition of peace—it really means removing all the negative factors that destroy peace in this world. So, peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or to war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as inequality, and poverty…”
What’s your most memorable moment with your mother?
Throughout the years, all moments shared with my mother have been incredibly precious. From living in Japan and India with her during my childhood, to the times I was able to visit her in Burma, each occasion has been cherished.
Unlike in the post-1988 period, the world today does not seem to have much interest in Myanmar or your mother. Why do you think this happened? Do you think the international community is putting enough pressure on the regime, in order to assist Myanmar and your mother?
I believe Burma lacks the same kind of geostrategic proxy value for either the US, or the EU/UK that is held by Taiwan, the Ukraine, or the current conflict in the Middle East. However, with the country in the grip of full-blown civil war and very little meaningful assistance being provided to the resistance by the outside world, the situation in Burma is worse than it has ever been during my lifetime. With more than 3 million internally displaced Burmese citizens urgently requiring life-saving humanitarian assistance and the military junta perpetrating verified crimes against humanity/genocide on a daily basis, the lack of unified international intervention to aid the Burmese population’s calls for help is disheartening. Especially for a UN and governments that have decreed “never again” following the genocide committed by the Nazis during World War II.
Given the resounding vote of the Burmese people in November 2020 to preserve what was the world’s newest democracy, I believe it is both essential and in their economic and societal interests for the global community, including China, to come together and take decisive action to uphold the aspirations of the Burmese people, putting an end to the ruthless conflict, paving the way for enduring peace and the reinstatement of democratic values in Burma.
You personally asked the regime to release your mother in 2023. Have you done so again? Why did you do that and what did they say?
I have consistently requested and advocated for the release of my mother since her unlawful arrest and imprisonment. Given recent reports indicating her poor health, I am again requesting that she, at the very least, be relocated to house arrest at her residence, 54 University Avenue in Yangon. It is also important that she receives medical care from her trusted physicians. Regrettably, I have not received any form of acknowledgment or response from the military, either directly or indirectly.
While I am sure Maymay’s many previous years spent under house arrest will have prepared her for her current period of isolation, I am concerned about the circumstances of her current confinement, particularly due to her age of 79 and existing health concerns. If the military chooses to detain her for the entirety of her sentence, she would be over 100 years of age before she regains her freedom.
Have you approached any world leaders regarding your mother’s case? If so, whom?
As my mother’s liberty is inextricably linked to the freedom of her people, I have repeatedly urged the United Nations, ASEAN [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations], and the global community, including China, to facilitate the release of my mother and all political prisoners. Despite international appeals, there has been no response or progress from the military regime. Requests from world leaders and international bodies, including, I believe, China, to meet my mother (and to also verify her well-being and location) have been rebuffed by the junta. Regrettably, my mother’s words prior to Burma’s fleeting era of democracy and liberty ring true once more: “We are prisoners in our own country… no one is free until everyone is free.”
The regime and your uncle have been pushing for the auction of your mother’s Yangon residence. Do you have any comments on the case?
It does not surprise me, as the military have always favored my uncle’s case, despite his lack of legal standing, being a US citizen. To quote Sean Turnell [Australian economist and former aide to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi]: “The brother has been a tool of successive military regimes over it.” It is disappointing that as her brother, my uncle does not share the same values as Maymay in honoring their mother, as Maymay had planned to use the house as a center for the charitable Daw Khin Kyi Foundation that she set up in her mother’s name. For many in Burma the historic residence is a symbol of the country’s struggle for democracy. The NUG [the civilian National Unity Government] declared No. 54 a national-level cultural heritage site in September 2022. The civilian government has warned it will take legal action against anyone seeking to own, sell, destroy, alter, or otherwise use the property and that no sale or auction carried out under the coup regime can be regarded as legitimate.
When you were in Myanmar in 2010, you gave your mother a mongrel, Taichito, as a token of your love. Everyone knows the bond between your mother and Taichito was very strong. Now they have been separated. What do you know about him?
Taichito is now 14 years old, and I am relieved to hear that he is still alive and well cared for. It saddens me deeply that Maymay cannot be by her loyal companion’s side as he nears the end of his life.
The revolution against the regime continues. What’s your assessment of it?
Following a string of battlefield losses, defections, psychological setbacks and with a reported 60 percent of the country now under the control of the resistance, there has been much international discussion about the potential collapse of the junta. However, while I would like to believe the civil war has reached a turning point, the military’s resilience and intensified utilization of terror tactics against its citizens should not be underestimated, as this time they are fighting for their own existence.
On top of the ever-increasing humanitarian crisis which has internally displaced 3 million civilians, the compete destabilization of Burma and its economy under junta rule has allowed the country to become a global center for international cybercrime and cyber-slavery, human trafficking, illegal organ harvesting, and the epicenter of methamphetamine and opium production, all of which have far reaching impacts not only in the Indo-Pacific region, but throughout the world.
As such I hope the international community, including China, will unite with and provide meaningful support to the people of Burma to help them achieve the tipping point to defeat the military regime and bring about lasting peace.
What do you think your mother’s comments would be if she learned of the people’s determination to fight against the regime?
I am sure that my mother upholds and respects the will of the people of Burma in their determination to restore what was, prior to the military coup, the world newest democracy, and I am certain that Maymay would be proud to see that—despite the evident dangers posed to themselves and their loved ones—women, alongside the youth of Burma, have taken a leading role in the resistance movement. Having experienced the progress and advantages brought by democracy they are resolute in ensuring that their lives as well as those of their children do not again regress into the darkness, tyranny and corruption of military rule.
Since her arrest, people in Myanmar have held flower strikes to mark your mother’s birthdays, calling for her and other political prisoners to be released. They will do it again this year. Any message for them?
I express my gratitude to the people of Burma for once again orchestrating and participating in a flower strike to honor Maymay’s birthday. It is my sincere hope that the military refrains from responding with the same violent measures as witnessed last year when individuals peacefully engaged in acquiring, carrying, or wearing flowers in their hair. An essay by Maymay commences with the assertion that “it is not power that corrupts, but fear.” The excessive reaction to last year’s flower strike serves as a stark reminder of a military leadership that has succumbed to corruption due to their fear of the very populace they are determined to govern. Their default recourse to brutality merely reinforces my mother’s role as a unifying emblem of a liberated Burma and a beacon of inspiration for those currently striving to reinstate fundamental liberties.
How are you celebrating your mother’s birthday this year?
This year I will be celebrating Maymay’s birthday in Norway at the Aung San Suu Kyi Peace Park. To conclude this interview in Maymay’s words: “…truth and reconciliation go together. Once the truth has been admitted, forgiveness is far more possible. Denying the truth will not bring about forgiveness, neither will it dissipate the anger in those who have suffered.”
Happy Birthday Maymay!
Kim Aris has been working to increase awareness regarding the severity of the civil war triggered by the coup, and of the crimes against humanity committed by the junta in Myanmar. His most recent “Freedom Tattoo” fundraiser realized over £100,000 (US$127,000) in donations, which have now been distributed in the form of humanitarian aid in-country. Further donations can be made at this platform.
