Aung San Suu Kyi’s son said he was disappointed by India rolling out the red carpet for Myanmar’s junta leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing, calling on the world’s largest democracy to stand on the side of human rights.
Kim Aris, 49, is campaigning for the release of his 80-year-old mother, who remains incarcerated five years after the military under Mr Hlaing overthrew her government in a 2021 coup.
Ms Suu Kyi was subsequently sentenced to 33 years in prison following trials that were criticised outside the country for lack of due process. Her sentence was reduced to 18 years under a pair of prisoner amnesty schemes earlier this year and she was moved from solitary confinement to house arrest.
Mr Hlaing, meanwhile, shed his uniform and assumed the civilian role of president earlier this year after a party backed by the military won the first parliamentary election since the coup.
The election was denounced by critics as a “sham” meant to deepen the military’s hold on power.
On Wednesday, as Mr Hlaing concluded his five-day visit to India with state honours, Mr Aris expressed regret that the South Asian country was hosting him while a bloody civil war continued in Myanmar.
“I have to say I am very disappointed with this development,” he told The Independent. “India should not be legitimising the junta in any way.”
“True stability in the region cannot be built on the suffering of the Burmese people or the validation of a lawless junta,” he added.
India was widely criticised for hosting the Myanmar president for his first foreign visit and giving legitimacy to one of the world’s most sanctioned leaders.
The National Unity Government, formed after the coup by the ousted lawmakers, representatives of ethnic minorities and anti-junta activists, told The Independent they had conveyed “serious concerns” about Mr Hlaing’s trip in a letter to Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar.
“Amid the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crises precipitated by the coup, any engagement that risks normalising or legitimising the military leadership must be avoided, out of respect for the clear will of the Myanmar populace who reject the regime,” they said in a statement. “As a vital neighbour, we trust that India will align its engagement with shared democratic values, prioritising human rights, regional stability, and the long-term democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar.”
The Indian foreign ministry, meanwhile, said the issue of Ms Suu Kyi’s detention was “raised” when Mr Hlaing met prime minister Narendra Modi. The issue was discussed “largely in the context of the peace process” to end Myanmar’s civil war, the ministry added, but didn’t provide any details.
“As Myanmar finds its way back to democracy, the need for an enduring peace in the country, the need for inclusion, the need to have all stakeholders at the table, and to examine the point so views of all the interlocutors who have been part of this process over a long period,” foreign secretary Vikram Misri said, describing the talks between the two leaders as a “freewheeling” conversation.
Mr Aris said he understood his mother’s situation was discussed during the visiting leader’s talks in India and that he hoped “some positive outcomes will emerge”.
“The first step towards peace and reconciliation is the release of my mother,” he asserted. “The world’s largest democracy should stand firmly on the side of human rights, accountability, and justice.”
His mother was turning 81 this month and battling a number of health issues, he noted, so “what is now needed is action”. “The international community should move beyond expressions of concern and press for concrete action,” he said.
Ms Suu Kyi has not been seen or heard from, or allowed visits from relatives or lawyers, for years now. Mr Aris last communicated directly with her through a letter three years ago.
The government recently released a grainy picture showing her sitting on a wooden bench facing two police officers. The picture is undated. Mr Aris argues that it could easily have been faked.
Mr Aris recently launched a “proof of life” campaign urging supporters to help pressure Myanmar’s government into giving proof that his mother was still alive. Ahead of his mother’s 81st birthday on 19 June, he asked members of the public to walk, cycle or run in support of her cause.
Ms Suu Kyi’s journey is documented in a film released by The Independent entitled Cancelled: The Rise and Fall of Aung San Suu Kyi.
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