Kim Aris

Absolutely, I'm calling for her to be freed along with all the other political prisoners and for the country to be returned to its democratically elected government. The military have shown that they're incapable of ruling or leading their country in any way and people will not accept it.

Yes, the military have used natural disasters in the past to weaponise aid and they're doing so again on this occasion and they're still bombing innocent civilians at the same time. At the moment they've cut off aid organisations getting to the most needy areas and they're stopping journalists getting in.

We can only hope. But at the moment, there isn't any indication of that, and I haven't heard of what the results are of that earthquake in the prison, really. I've heard that she's safe, but there's no way of confirming that.

That's incorrect. She never refused to acknowledge the military's role. She refused to condemned the military on the account of genocide. That's something else. But she always said the military were responsible for... She defended the military at the International Court of Justice against allegations of genocide. No, she wasn't defending the military. She was actually defending her country.

That's something very different. She was working with the military, but not in any way against the Rohingya. She was always trying to do everything she could for the Rohingya, even before it came to the And the fact is that she was doing more for the Rohingya than anybody else in the world, which the media at the time failed to report on because it didn't fit their narrative.

I don't get to talk to my mother about political issues really, since we only communicate over the phone often, and we know the military will be listening in. But I think actually she may have some regrets, but it wouldn't be the ones you think. She will be able to hold up her head and say she was doing everything she possibly could for the Rohingya.

And if you read the evidence which is out there, I'm sure you would agree.

I think it was about eight or nine years ago, maybe.

Well, I wouldn't be able to go back now, certainly. But in the past, I generally go to Burma to see my mother, and she's been extremely busy, so I get to see her when I can.

Yes.

I do. Despite the fact that the world is turning a blind eye to what's happening over there and is doing nothing to help, the military are losing. And they have the weaponry, the fighter planes, the backing of countries like China, Russia and India. And still they're losing. They're not in control of even 70% of the country now. So I do see hope that the resistance will win and soon.

Well, we believe in Napidor prison. It's very hard to confirm anything. Near where the earthquake hit. So we're very concerned about her well-being, obviously. But it's very hard to confirm anything.

At least the last two years, nobody's seen her. And prior to that, well, to the best of my knowledge, she's basically been held in solitary confinement. She's not allowed to mingle with the other prisoners. Whilst I've had some practice in being separated from her over her 15 years under house arrest, it's very much different now that she's been in prison for the last four years.