Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross, marking her first confirmed contact with an independent outside organisation in several years.
Photographs released by Myanmar’s military authorities showed the 81-year-old appearing relaxed and in apparently good health during the meeting. However, officials provided no detailed information about her medical condition or the subjects discussed.
Suu Kyi has been held since the military overthrew her elected government in February 2021. She was subsequently sentenced to a combined 33 years in prison on charges widely condemned by her supporters and international observers as politically motivated.
Her sentence was later reduced, and she was reportedly transferred from prison to house arrest.
Although the military has repeatedly insisted that Suu Kyi remains alive and well, it had previously failed to provide independently verifiable evidence of her condition. Her last confirmed outside contact was reportedly a letter sent to her son, Kim Aris, around two and a half years ago.
Aris has recently intensified an international campaign calling on Myanmar’s authorities to provide credible proof that his mother is alive and receiving appropriate care.
The Red Cross delegation was led by the organisation’s representative, Arnaud de Baecque. Images released following the visit showed Suu Kyi seated with members of the team, although neither the military nor the ICRC disclosed details of their conversation.
“The visit was carried out in accordance with the ICRC’s standards and procedures for visiting people deprived of liberty. This included the opportunity to speak with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in private,” the ICRC said in a short statement.
Aris welcomed the development and said he believed the photographs were genuine, adding that his mother appeared to be in “good health”.
“It takes quite a lot for me to say that because the military have spread a lot of disinformation and false news over the years, so I’ve learnt to ignore a large part of it, but on this occasion, I think we can believe what’s been said,” he told the BBC’s Newshour programme.
Myanmar remains under the leadership of coup chief Min Aung Hlaing, with the military continuing to dominate the country’s political system despite elections held earlier this year.
The authorities have recently stepped up diplomatic engagement with neighbouring countries as they seek to reduce Myanmar’s international isolation.
Foreign governments and international organisations have repeatedly called on the military to halt air strikes against opposition-controlled areas, begin negotiations aimed at ending the country’s civil conflict and release Suu Kyi.
Myanmar’s leadership has so far resisted those demands. However, allowing the ICRC to meet Suu Kyi and releasing photographs of the visit could indicate a limited willingness to ease restrictions surrounding the former leader.
