Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with the International Committee of the Red Cross’ representative in the capital on Monday, the military-backed government announced. The meeting marks a rare instance of contact with the outside world for the Nobel laureate, who has been held out of public view since the military seized power in 2021.
Two photographs released by the Presidential Press and Information Bureau showed Suu Kyi shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC’s representative to Myanmar, and meeting with him in a wood-paneled room. The government statement did not disclose the meeting's location or provide details about the discussion.
Additional photographs featured Suu Kyi cutting a pink birthday cake inscribed with “Happy Birthday Aunty Suu, 19.6.2026,” suggesting the images may have been taken during a celebration for her 81st birthday in June. In the photos, Suu Kyi appeared relaxed and smiled, with no obvious signs of ill health, though her condition could not be independently assessed from the images.
The meeting comes amid growing calls from other countries, including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, for access to or engagement with Suu Kyi as part of efforts to resolve the country's political crisis. Kim Aris, her younger son living in London, and Myanmar democracy activists have been campaigning online to demand evidence that his mother is alive and well.
Suu Kyi was detained on February 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She has not been seen publicly since then. An official photo released in April showed her being moved from prison to house arrest, with her sentence reduced as part of a prisoner amnesty for a Buddhist holiday.