Detained Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), marking the first publicly disclosed meeting between her and a foreign official since the military coup in 2021.
Myanmar’s Presidential Office said the ICRC’s resident representative in Myanmar, Arnaud de Baecque, met Suu Kyi on Monday morning but did not provide further details about the discussion.
The government also released several photographs showing the 81-year-old former state counsellor shaking hands with a man believed to be de Baecque and cutting a birthday cake bearing the words “Happy Birthday Aunty Suu.”
While AFP was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the images, checks using artificial intelligence analysis reportedly found no signs that the photographs had been digitally manipulated.
The ICRC has yet to publicly comment on the meeting.
A senior member of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), speaking anonymously, described the release of the photographs as a positive development.
“We are happy to see the photos if she really met the ICRC. At least now we know she is still alive,” the party veteran said, adding that Suu Kyi should be released immediately because her detention was unlawful.
Myanmar’s military ousted Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021 before arresting her on multiple charges that human rights groups have described as politically motivated to remove her and the NLD from the country’s political landscape.
The coup triggered a civil war that continues today and has reportedly claimed more than 100,000 lives.
Former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing became Myanmar’s civilian president in April following a widely criticised election.
During the same month, authorities announced that Suu Kyi’s remaining prison sentence had been reduced and that she had been transferred from prison to house detention.
However, officials have never disclosed the exact location where she is being held in Naypyidaw or revealed how much of her sentence remains.
Her son, Kim Aris, a British citizen, has repeatedly appealed for independent proof that his mother is alive after being unable to contact her for several years.
Myanmar continues to face international pressure over Suu Kyi’s detention, despite efforts to rebuild diplomatic ties with neighbouring countries.
Thailand is currently leading regional efforts to bring Myanmar back into ASEAN’s diplomatic processes, although several member states continue to insist that Suu Kyi’s release remains a key condition.
Last month, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said his Myanmar counterpart had assured him that Suu Kyi was in good health, but stressed that the claim would need to be independently verified.
