- Aung San Suu Kyi met with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC's resident representative in Myanmar, in Naypyitaw on Monday, marking the first public meeting since the 2021 coup.
- The ICRC confirmed the meeting took place and included an opportunity for Suu Kyi to speak in private.
- Kim Aris, Suu Kyi's son, expressed that the released photos gave him 'a reason to hope' for her well-being, although he noted that one meeting cannot resolve his family's concerns.
- Since the 2021 coup, no foreign leader or envoy had publicly met Suu Kyi, leading her family to demand proof of her well-being.
- In late April, following a military-orchestrated election, authorities announced that Suu Kyi had been moved to house arrest.
Aung San Suu Kyi met with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC's representative in Myanmar, in Naypyitaw, marking a significant moment for her family and supporters.12
Kim Aris, her son, expressed that the photographs from the meeting gave him "a reason to hope" for the first time since the military coup in 2021. He described the meeting as "the first positive development concerning her in more than five years" and emphasized the need for transparency and humanitarian access.3
The ICRC confirmed the meeting, stating it provided an opportunity for Suu Kyi to speak privately.
Aris noted, "I hope this is the beginning of transparency, humanitarian access and, ultimately, my mother's freedom," while also acknowledging that hope must be matched by action.
The meeting comes amid increasing pressure on Myanmar's military-backed government to allow international access to Suu Kyi, who has been held incommunicado since her arrest.
Thomas Kean from the International Crisis Group suggested that the military's decision to allow the meeting may be linked to its desire for acceptance back into ASEAN, as the region's foreign ministers discuss benchmarks for a stalled peace plan.
Despite the meeting, skepticism remains regarding the military's claims about Suu Kyi's health, as she has been isolated for years.
Aris and activists continue to demand credible information about her well-being and call for her immediate release along with other political prisoners.
“The ICRC said the Monday visit included a chance to speak with Suu Kyi in private, while two extra images appear to show her cutting a pink cake inscribed 'Happy Birthday Aunty Su' at her 81st birthday in June. Myanmar's military likely allowed the meeting partly because junta chief Min Aung Hlaing wants ASEAN to readmit the country.”
NPR
The Guardian
