Aung San Suu Kyi spoke with her son for the first time in nearly six years on Thursday, in a 20-minute phone call arranged through Myanmar’s embassy in London, her son said. Kim Aris, 49, said the 81-year-old former leader first asked about his health. He told her that the family was sending its love and asked about her condition. “Hearing her voice has reassured me,” he said, adding that she sounded strong but was still in significant pain from a hand problem she described as tendonitis. The call was the first direct conversation between them since Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup, ousting the elected government Suu Kyi led. Aris, who lives in London, said he believed security forces monitored the call, limiting what they could discuss. Myanmar’s military-backed president’s spokesperson confirmed the conversation on social media and released photographs of the call. Aris said he learned that his mother is being held at a residence in or near the capital, Naypyidaw. He believes police and military personnel guard the property, which he described as fenced off, with a small garden she may be allowed to use. He said she appears to be held in isolation despite not being in a prison cell. Suu Kyi was sentenced after a series of trials beginning in 2021. Her total sentence reached 33 years on charges including corruption and electoral fraud; Western governments and human rights groups have denounced the proceedings as politically motivated. Her sentence was later reduced, though Aris said she still has 18 years to serve. The family had received almost no direct information about her for years, Aris said, apart from one censored letter three years ago and occasional second-hand reports. He said she gets medical checkups every six months, but has little access to outside information and, as far as he understands, no radio, television or newspapers. Aris hopes to send care packages. His mother asked for a mix of healthy food and treats, including chocolate, he said. The limited contact offers a rare glimpse into Suu Kyi’s detention as Myanmar’s conflict continues. The coup triggered a civil war that has killed about 100,000 people, according to conflict monitor ACLED, and displaced millions, the United Nations says. Aris said he believes the military is trying to improve its international image as coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, now the country’s president, travels abroad seeking recognition. He urged foreign governments not to mistake the phone call for a meaningful change in policy. A spokesperson for the military-backed government did not respond to a request for comment. The U.S. State Department has called for Suu Kyi’s immediate and unconditional release and urged Myanmar’s military to pursue genuine dialogue with opposition groups. Analysts have cautioned that freeing her would not by itself end the war, though her continued detention remains a potent political issue for the regime.