This is the first publicly announced meeting she has had with a foreign official since she was deposed in a military coup in 2021, the president’s office reported.
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The military deposed A. San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was imprisoned, and a continuing civil war erupted in the country, which has already claimed more than 100,000 lives.
The coup leader and former junta head Min Aung Hlaing became the civilian government president in April after highly restricted elections.
In the same month, 81-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest, with Min Aung Hlaing stating that he had softened the remainder of her sentence.
She was detained on numerous charges which, according to human rights groups, were fabricated to remove her and her popular National League for Democracy from political life.
The president’s office stated in a release that the resident representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Myanmar, Arnaud de Baecque (Arno de Bekas), met with Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday morning.
Photos released by the president’s office show Aung San Suu Kyi shaking hands with a man believed to be A. de Baecque.
In another photo, Aung San Suu Kyi is cutting a birthday cake, and in yet another, the cake bears the inscription: “Happy Birthday, Aunt Su”.
The news agency AFP has not yet been able to verify the authenticity of these images, but artificial intelligence tools found no signs of forgery.
AFP has reached out to the ICRC for comment.
“We are glad to see such a photo of her if it is indeed her meeting with the ICRC. At least now we know she is alive,” a veteran politician from her party told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Still, Auntie should be released immediately as she is being held illegally,” he added.
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Proof of life
The institutions did not disclose the exact location of Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention in the capital Naypyidaw, nor did they specify how many years remain on her sentence.
Her son Kim Aris, a British citizen, sought independently verified proof that his mother was alive when she was moved to house arrest.
He says he has received no news from his mother, who remains very popular in Myanmar.
Since the coup, Myanmar has been essentially isolated from the international community, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), comprising 11 countries, has removed the country’s leadership from high-level summits.
However, neighboring Thailand has taken steps to bring the ostracized country back into the diplomatic fold both bilaterally and through this regional bloc.
Having changed his position, Min Aung Hlaing has already visited India, China, and ASEAN-member Laos, and plans an official visit to Thailand this week.
Despite the diplomatic thaw, Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued detention remains a significant obstacle for some countries.
The ASEAN bloc sought a meeting between its special envoy and Aung San Suu Kyi, but Myanmar has so far refused.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told journalists last month that Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe assured his regional colleagues during a trip to Thailand that Aung San Suu Kyi is “in good health”.
“We were told she is well cared for, but that needs to be proven,” added Sihasak Phuangketkeow.
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