‘CALLOUS’

Jailed Myanmar Ex-Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Denied Request for Urgent Medical Care

Aung San Suu Kyi, 78, is currently unable to eat, reports say.

Myanmar’s military authorities reportedly denied a request for urgent medical care for the country’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, amid alarming reports about her declining health. An unnamed source told Reuters that the 78-year-old Nobel laureate—who was jailed after being ousted from power in a coup in 2021—had asked to see an outside physician, but that she was instead treated by a prisons department doctor. “She was suffering swelling in her gums and could not eat well and is feeling light-headed along with vomiting,” the source said. Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, told the Independent that the military junta’s decision could put his mother’s life in danger. “To deny a sick prisoner access to recommended medical care is callous and cruel,” he said. Aris added: “Anyone who has such painful gum disease that they are unable to eat obviously has their entire health at risk if suitable treatment is denied.”