Myanmar's Detained Aung San Suu Kyi Meets Red Cross, Confirmed Alive

The survival of Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, has been confirmed after questions were raised over her whereabouts due to a continued lack of external contact following her transfer from prison to house arrest earlier this year.

In a statement released on the 3rd local time, the Myanmar presidential office announced that Suu Kyi met with Arnaud de Baeke, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Myanmar, in the capital city of Naypyidaw.

Four photos released by the presidential office showed Suu Kyi shaking hands and talking with a man believed to be De Baeke, as well as cutting a cake bearing the message, "Happy birthday, Auntie Suu."

In the photos, Suu Kyi appeared somewhat thin but capable of daily activities, and the location where she cut the cake appeared to be a regular home furnished with wooden floors, a wooden table, chairs, a wardrobe, and a coat rack.

Speaking to the EFE news agency, De Baeke confirmed the meeting with Suu Kyi and stated that the ICRC will "release a statement with more details soon."

The human rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) also issued a statement saying that Suu Kyi met with the ICRC at 9:30 AM that day.

This meeting marks an extremely rare instance of external contact for Suu Kyi, who has been imprisoned for about five years since the military coup in February 2021.

In particular, this is the first time her survival and living conditions have been confirmed since the government announced her transfer to house arrest last April.

Suu Kyi previously met with then-Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai in July 2023, and Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party and Foreign Minister, was also known to have held an unofficial meeting with her when he visited Myanmar last April.

However, as Suu Kyi had no contact with the outside world even after the Myanmar regime announced her transition to house arrest, questions had been raised regarding whether she was actually under house arrest, her health condition, and even whether she was still alive.

Her son, Kim Aris, had previously claimed that his mother was still in prison contrary to the government's announcement and urged the Myanmar government to provide proof that she is alive.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had also repeatedly demanded that the Myanmar regime allow access to meet with Suu Kyi.

Regarding this meeting, the AAPP stated, "It is an achievement brought about by the joint pressure of domestic and international organizations, including ASEAN."

It also urged the military regime to recognize Suu Kyi as a legally elected leader and unconditionally release her to resolve the crisis in Myanmar.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.