‘Bargaining Chip for the Junta’: APHR Meets Kim Aris, Demands Verification of Aung San Suu Kyi’s Condition

JAKARTA, 23 June 2026—ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) met today with Kim Aris, youngest son of imprisoned democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to strengthen coordinated pressure on Myanmar’s military junta to release her and all political prisoners.

The meeting follows an open letter signed by 134 former and current parliamentarians from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Timor Leste. The letter calls on the ASEAN Chair and heads of state to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners held by the junta, as well as proof of her well-being through a public appearance and immediate access for her family, legal counsel, and an independent medical team to verify her whereabouts.

Kim Aris warned that his mother is being used as a bargaining chip by the junta to deflect accountability and extract political concessions from the international community. Now 81 years old, Aung San Suu Kyi has been held since the February 2021 coup with no independent verification of her health or whereabouts. Kim Aris revealed that he has had only one correspondence with his mother through a single letter nearly three years ago.

Former and current parliamentarians at the meeting committed to scaling up pressure within their respective parliaments and calling on ASEAN heads of state to raise the issue urgently. Participants included Charles Santiago and Wong Chen (Malaysia), Arlene Brosas and Raoul Manuel (Philippines), Kannavee Suebsang (Thailand), and Abel da Silva (Timor Leste).

APHR calls on the ASEAN Chair President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and ASEAN member states to collectively demand immediate, independent access to Aung San Suu Kyi and the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Myanmar.

Kim Aris’s hope for his mother’s freedom is not his alone. It is the hope of millions of Myanmar people who continue to resist a brutal military regime that has stolen their democracy, their leaders, and their future.

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Elsa Jade | [email protected]
Myanmar & Crisis Response Program Coordinator