Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Detained former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, amid long-running uncertainty over the health and well-being of the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Suu Kyi has been held since the military ousted her elected civilian government in a February 2021 coup that plunged the Southeast Asian country into turmoil.
ICRC visit
Government spokesperson Khine Khine Soe said in a Telegram message that Suu Kyi met Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC Resident Representative to Myanmar, in Naypyitaw.
The ICRC confirmed that one of its delegates had met Suu Kyi, without naming the official. It said the visit met its standards and procedures for people deprived of liberty, including an opportunity to speak with her privately.
Health concerns
Suu Kyi’s exact location and health condition have been difficult to establish since her detention. No foreign leader or envoy had publicly met her despite requests for contact from countries in the region that had excluded Myanmar’s leadership from their summits.
Photographs released by the government spokesperson showed Suu Kyi in traditional Burmese clothing, standing unaided and shaking hands with de Baecque. Another image showed the pair seated in a sparsely furnished, wood-panelled room with two chairs and a desk.
Family response
Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, described the meeting as the first positive development concerning his mother in more than five years, but said he had not received independent confirmation of her condition or well-being.
“This may be a first step, but it must not be the last,” he said in a statement.
