King Charles’s Books to Aung San Suu Kyi Took Months After They Were Sent
Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, believes Myanmar’s military authorities withheld two books sent by Britain’s King Charles III for months before delivering them to his mother, he told Myanmar Global Media (MGM) in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, October 27.
Aris said he believed the British monarch had sent the books in time for his mother’s 81st birthday on June 19, but that the military authorities had delayed handing them over until recently.
“I think this is, again, just the military using this for their propaganda,” Aris told MGM.
“I believe King Charles sent those books some months ago, in time for May May’s birthday, and yet the military didn’t give them to her then.”
“So they’ve been holding on to them for all of this time and have only given them to her recently, when they could have given them to her some time ago,” he added.
Myanmar’s military authorities delivered the two books, concerning gardening and nature, to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in October.
However, MGM has not independently verified when the books were originally dispatched by King Charles or when Myanmar’s military authorities received them.
Aris also suggested that the latest gift was not the first time King Charles had sent books to his mother during her detention.
“I believe this isn’t the first book he’s sent over the last few years. I think he’s been sending other books over this time,” he said.
In the same interview, Aris revealed that he had personally written to King Charles regarding his mother’s situation.
“I have written to the King, yes,” he told MGM.
Concerns Over His Mother’s Health and Isolation
Aris also said he had received no further information about his mother’s condition since speaking to her by telephone for the first time in more than five years.
“I haven’t heard anything more since after the call,” he said.
During their conversation, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told him that she was experiencing significant pain in her hand and was sometimes unable to use it, according to Aris.
He also expressed concern about her continued isolation, saying she remained essentially in solitary confinement, with no access to people outside the military or police and no access to news or other media.
Despite the unexpected phone call, Aris remained cautious about whether the development signaled meaningful progress toward his mother’s release.
“I don’t know if the recent developments point to any meaningful progress or not, but I do hope that I’ll at least be allowed to have continued contact with May May, and I hope that this will eventually result in her freedom,” he said.
Aris, who continues to campaign for his mother’s release through the Free Her campaign, said he was considering a visit to Southeast Asia early next year to engage with regional stakeholders and build international support for the release of his mother and other political prisoners in Myanmar.
MGM will soon release its full exclusive interview with Kim Aris, covering his mother’s health and continued detention, King Charles III’s gifts, the political implications of their recent telephone conversation, and his ongoing campaign for her freedom.
