Fresh hope for Warminster family of detained former Myanmar leader

THE Warminster family of Myanmar’s detained former leader have welcomed a recently released photograph which they say shows she is still alive. 

Aung San Suu Kyi, the former leader of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been detained since the military coup in 2021. Until the recent release of photographs which show her meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross, her family had not heard from her in three years.

Earlier this year, her son Kim Aris launched a campaign demanding proof of life ahead of her 81st birthday in June. Warminster resident Lucinda Phillips, whose brother Michael Aris was married to the politician until his death in 1999, supported her nephew’s campaign alongside her husband Adrian.

Lucinda has described the newly released images as “good news at last,” but said she will continue to campaign for better rights for her sister-in-law.

She said, “We are, of course, continuing to campaign for her to have the normal rights as a prisoner, access to her family, receipt of parcels, access to her doctors and to her lawyers, not only for her but also for the other 20,000 political prisoners held by the illegal military regime in Myanmar.”

Benedict Rogers, a former head boy at Warminster School and the current senior director of human rights organisation Fortify Rights, described the human rights crisis in Myanmar as “among the worst in the world” and has called for a genuine democracy to be established in the country.

He said, “The evidence that Aung San Suu Kyi is still alive, revealed in the form of photographs of her meeting with the ICRC earlier this week, is of course very welcome, but it is nowhere near enough. She has been unjustly imprisoned for over five years and should be immediately and unconditionally released, along with all political prisoners in Myanmar.

“The human rights crisis in Myanmar is among the worst in the world, with over 14,000 political prisoners currently in jail, in dire conditions and subjected to widespread and systematic torture. The military regime continues to carry out daily airstrikes and ground attacks on civilians, bombing homes, schools, hospitals, clinics, churches, mosques and temples, displacing almost 4 million people from their homes.

“These attacks must stop, and Myanmar’s dictator Min Aung Hlaing must be pressed to step down from power and let the people of Myanmar establish a genuine federal democracy with true peace and justice.”

Aung San Suu Kyi’s son Kim said, “While this news gives me hope, I remain cautious. I have not yet received independent confirmation of my mother’s condition or wellbeing. One reported meeting cannot answer the questions my family has lived with for more than five years.

“I hope this leads to further humanitarian progress, including direct contact with my mother, access for our family, credible and independently verified information about her wellbeing, and ultimately her immediate and unconditional release, together with all political prisoners.”