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Agence France-Presse

Myanmar’s detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi met the nation’s Red Cross representative on Monday, the president’s office said, the first publicised meeting between her and a foreign official since she was ousted in a 2021 coup.
The military deposed Suu Kyi in February 2021, jailing the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and triggering an ongoing civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people on all sides.
The coup leader and former junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, was installed as civilian president in April following highly restricted elections.
Later that month, Suu Kyi, now 81, was moved to house arrest after Min Aung Hlaing said he had commuted the rest of her sentence. She was detained on a host of charges which rights groups say were concocted to sideline her and her popular National League for Democracy party.

The president’s office said in a statement that Arnaud de Baecque, the resident representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Myanmar, met Suu Kyi on Monday morning.
In photos released by the president’s office, Suu Kyi is seen shaking hands with a man who appears to be de Baecque. Another image shows Suu Kyi cutting a birthday cake, and yet another shows the cake with text reading: “Happy Birthday Aunty Suu”.
The images could not be immediately verified but AI tools found no instances of fabrication. The ICRC has been contacted for comment.
“We are happy to see her photo like this if it’s really her meeting with the ICRC. We can know now that she’s alive,” a veteran politician of her party said on condition of anonymity. “However, Aunty should be released immediately as she’s being detained unlawfully.”


Authorities have not disclosed the exact location of Suu Kyi’s detention in the capital Naypyidaw, nor how many years of her sentence remain.
Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, said the ICRC was not able to have a physician examine his mother ‌but he said she seemed to be in good health and in good spirits. “It’s the first independent proof that I’ve had that she’s actually alive for a long ⁠time now,” he said in London. “So it’s extremely ⁠meaningful.”
Aris said that while he remained cautious, he hoped to be able to speak to his mother in time, and urged other governments to keep up the pressure on Myanmar to release her and other political prisoners. Aris said in December ‌that he had received only sporadic, second-hand details about his mother’s heart, bone and gum problems – and had not heard from her in years.
Since the coup, Myanmar has been largely ostracised by the international community, and the 11-nation Asean has excluded the country’s leadership from high-level summits.
But neighbour Thailand has been leading an effort to bring the once pariah state back in the diplomatic fold, both bilaterally and through the regional bloc.

Since his change in position, Min Aung Hlaing has travelled to India, China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations member Laos, and he is scheduled to make an official visit to Thailand this week.
Despite the diplomatic outreach, the continued detention of Suu Kyi remains a major sticking point for some nations. The Asean bloc has pressed for its special envoy to meet Suu Kyi, but so far Myanmar has refused.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters last month that Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe had assured his regional counterparts during a trip to Thailand that Suu Kyi was “in good health”.
“We have been told she has been taken care of well but it needs to be proved,” Sihasak added.


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‘She is alive’: Myanmar’s Suu Kyi meets Red Cross official in first post-coup visit

A Myanmar government handout photo shows ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi (left) talking to Arnaud de Baecque in Naypyitaw on Monday. Photo: Myanmar President Office/EPA

Myanmar ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi cuts a birthday cake during her meeting with Arnaud de Baecque on Monday. Photo: Myanmar President Office/AP

A birthday cake for Aung San Suu Kyi is seen during her meeting with Arnaud de Baecque on Monday. Photo:, Myanmar President Office/AP

Aung San Suu Kyi (left) shakes hands with ICRC representative Arnaud de Baecque in Naypyitaw on Monday. Photo: Myanmar President Office/AP

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Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and his Myanmar counterpart U Tin Maung Swe attend talks on Saturday, a day before an informal meeting with Asean foreign ministers in Bangkok. Photo: Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AFP

Myanmar’s foreign minister, Tin Maung Swe, (far right) with his Asean counterparts at their informal meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday. Photo: Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Reuters

Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow (right) meets his Myanmar counterpart U Tin Maung Swe on Saturday, a day before an informal meeting with Asean foreign ministers in Bangkok. Photo: Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AFP

Aung San Suu Kyi pictured in 2015. Myanmar’s deposed civilian leader is being kept under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw. Photo: AFP

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) shakes hands with Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing before their meeting in New Delhi on June 1. Photo: EPA

Military personnel stand guard at the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sot, Thailand’s Tak province, as hundreds of refugees fleeing the fighting crossed over in April 2024. Photo: Reuters

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In photos released by the president’s office, Suu Kyi is seen shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque and cutting a birthday cake


In photos released by the president’s office, Suu Kyi is seen shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque and cutting a birthday cake.


‘She is alive’: Myanmar’s Suu Kyi meets Red Cross official in first post-coup visit

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In photos released by the president’s office, Suu Kyi is seen shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque and cutting a birthday cake

In photos released by the president’s office, Suu Kyi is seen shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque and cutting a birthday cake