Aung San Suu Kyi (File photo) and Kim Aris (AP image)

Kim Aris, son of Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, fears he may not even learn if his mother has passed away due to her failing health. He has had no direct contact with her since the 2021 military coup.In an interview with Reuters, Aris said that he has not seen or heard from his 80-year-old mother in years and has only received sporadic, secondhand updates on her heart, bone and gum problems.“She’s got ongoing health issues. Nobody has seen her in over two years. She hasn’t been allowed contact with her legal team, never mind her family,” he said. “For all I know, she could be dead already.”Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is serving a 27-year prison sentence on charges including incitement, corruption and election fraud, all of which she denies. Aris said he believes she is being held in the capital Naypyitaw and has last heard from her in a letter two years ago, in which she described the extreme summer and winter temperatures in her cell.Myanmar has remained in turmoil since the 2021 coup, triggering armed conflicts across the country. The military plans to hold elections later this month, a move widely criticised by foreign governments as an attempt to legitimise military rule.Aris said he is urging foreign governments, including Japan, to put more pressure on the junta and draw attention to his mother’s situation. “Because of the upcoming elections that the military are trying to stage, which we all know are completely unfair… I need to use this small window of opportunity,” he said.While rejecting the credibility of the polls, Aris said the elections could still offer a narrow opening for his mother’s release or transfer to house arrest.Explaining his assessment of the junta’s intent, he said: “I imagine (Myanmar junta leader) Min Aung Hlaing has his own agenda when it comes to my mother. If he does want to use her to try and appease the general population before or after the elections by either releasing her or moving her to house arrest, then at least that would be something,” he added.Aris also reflected on the international perception of Suu Kyi, saying, “In the past, when my mother was held in higher regard by the international community, then it was much harder for people to ignore what’s happening in Burma. But since her position was undermined through the crisis in Rakhine, that’s no longer the case.”Aris emphasized that he is advocating for this cause due to his family duty.“I think she’d be incredibly sad that I’ve had to do this. She’s always wanted me to not have to get involved. But I don’t really have a choice at the moment. I am her son after all. And if I’m not doing it, I can’t expect anybody else to do it,” he said.