World seems to have forgotten Aung San Suu Kyi, who is unjustly detained, says son Kim Arick

Yangon, May 31 Kim Arick, the son of political prisoner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is unjustly detained and imprisoned by the Myanmar military, revealed in an interview with EL PAÍS news agency that the world seems to have forgotten her. He condemned the situation of her disappearance, stating that there is no reliable information about where the military is currently holding his mother. On April 17, the Myanmar military council announced that it had reduced some of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's 27-year sentence, which she has been serving since the 2021 coup, and the military subsequently announced that she had been transferred to serve the remainder of her sentence under house arrest. Her whereabouts remain unknown to this day, and Kim Arick has demanded that the military prove that his mother is alive. "I have not received any reliable information that would confirm her transfer. I have heard such stories many times before," he said. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who will turn 81 in June, has been detained and imprisoned by the military since February 1, 2021. The military staged the coup, alleging electoral fraud in the 2015 and 2020 elections, in which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won decisive victories. She was initially sentenced to 33 years in prison on multiple charges, including corruption, incitement to terrorism, and violations of the state secrets law, and the United Nations has criticized the unfair closed-door trials. In 2023, she received some remissions, reducing her sentence to 27 years. Kim Arick's last direct contact with his mother was when he received a letter back about three years ago, and since then, none of his subsequent letters have been answered. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is considered by the international community as a "bargaining chip" by military leader Min Aung Hlaing. "She is trying to gain legitimacy. I hope no one gives her legitimacy," said Kim Arick. He added that while the military needs to keep Daw Aung San Suu Kyi alive, he does not believe they will take good care of her. He stated that the military government's secrecy is due to their continued fear of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and that the people are still fighting daily for the restoration of democracy, refusing to accept the military dictatorship. Kim Arick fondly recalled his childhood memories with his mother at their home in Yangon, saying, "To me, she is just like any other mother. She cared about me doing my homework, and she cooked very well. She also taught me how to cook." "If I don't protect my mother, who will? I don't consider this a political movement. I just want her to be free. She is already 80 years old... but I think the world has forgotten her," he confided. He believes that the decline in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's international image following the Rohingya refugee crisis led Western countries to quickly abandon her. Regarding her appearance at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in 2019, Arick explained that it was a transitional democratic period where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not have full control over the military and was only trying to maintain national unity, and that the military destroyed her image and exploited her politically. He warned that the international community has not yet noticed the increase in criminal activities such as human trafficking, online scams, gambling, drug trafficking, and sexual exploitation due to the civil war that has occurred in Myanmar since 2021. He has been in contact with several European governments as well as the Trump administration in the United States and has called on world leaders to take practical steps for the Myanmar issue. He particularly praised the decisive statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron. He also believes that China is exerting pressure for his mother's release. "My mother's main ideology is peace. She was able to achieve a situation where democracy would begin to flourish without violence. I hope that my mother can help the people to be able to talk to each other and discuss, and to be able to have such discussions," he said.