Naypyitaw:Incarcerated Myanmar politician Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, spoke with her UK-based son on Thursday, marking their first family conversation in over five years.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Khaing Khaing Soe, spokeswoman for Myanmar's president, stated that Suu Kyi had a consular telephone conversation with her son, Kim Aris, facilitated through Myanmar's Embassy in London. The discussion took place between 0830GMT and 0850GMT, as noted in a brief statement shared on the social media messaging platform Telegram.

Following the call, Kim Aris remarked, "One conversation is not regular family access. Family access is not freedom," highlighting the restricted nature of their communication. Suu Kyi was arrested during the military coup led by Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in February 2021, which overthrew the government of her National League for Democracy.

Suu Kyi was initially sentenced to 33 years in prison by Myanmar's military junta courts, a sentence that was reduced by six years in August 2023. She was moved to house arrest in Naypyitaw earlier this year. The junta brought 19 charges against her, ranging from incitement and election fraud to corruption, with five charges later dropped when her sentence was reduced. Suu Kyi has denied all accusations.

This rare family communication occurred after the Myanmar government delivered two books and a sealed letter to Suu Kyi on Monday, sent by British King Charles III. Since the 2021 coup, thousands have been killed and wounded, with internal ethnic clashes intensifying in the Southeast Asian nation. Min Aung Hlaing was appointed president in April of this year after resigning as the chief of the military, known locally as the Tatmadaw.