Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi turned 79 on Wednesday. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been kept in detention by Myanmar's military since troops seized power in a coup in 2021.
Her son, Kim Aris currently lives in the United Kingdom. In an interview with NHK, he said he is unsure of his mother's whereabouts.
He said he and her supporters do hear occasionally that she has been moved from a prison cell to some form of house arrest, but then hear that the news is incorrect. So at the moment, they believe she is still in prison in Naypyidaw.
Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to years in prison after being found guilty of corruption and other charges in unofficial trials run by the military.
Aris said he sent his mother vitamins, medicines and food, including some chocolate after hearing that she was experiencing health problems.
He said he subsequently received "an actual paper letter with her handwriting" in January. He said the letter was the first he had seen or heard from his mother in the last three and a half years.
Regarding the situation where pro-democracy groups are using force to fight the military, he said, "whether it's the right way or not, it may be the only way at the moment."
Aris said his mother has always stood for peaceful reconciliation and tried to do things with as little bloodshed as possible. He said she would be "desperately sad" to know what's happening now.
Aris said his mother "along with so many people have been locked up for no other reason than believing in human rights." He urged other countries not to just stand by.
He said he thinks the international community could be doing a lot more to restrict access to supplies such as aviation and fuel by Myanmar's military.
He said people in other countries, including Japan, should put pressure on their governments to take meaningful action and continue to support democracy in Myanmar.