Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets Red Cross official

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, a development her son described as the first positive sign concerning his mother in over five years.

Suu Kyi, 81, has been held since the military ousted her elected government in February 2021. Her health and whereabouts have been a subject of international concern, with no foreign officials publicly meeting her despite requests.

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This may be a first step, but it must not be ​the last.

The meeting took place in Naypyitaw with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC's Resident Representative to Myanmar. The ICRC confirmed the visit, stating its delegate spoke with Suu Kyi in private and that the visit met its standards for those deprived of liberty.

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I hope this leads to further humanitarian progress, including direct contact with my mother, access for our family, credible and independently verified information ​about her well-being, and ultimately her immediate and unconditional release, together with all political prisoners.

Photographs released by a government spokesperson showed Suu Kyi dressed in traditional attire, appearing to stand unaided and shaking hands with the ICRC representative. She was also pictured sitting with him in a sparsely furnished room.

Suu Kyi's son, Kim Aris, expressed hope that the visit would be a first step toward further humanitarian progress, including direct contact, access for family, and ultimately her unconditional release along with other political prisoners. He noted he had only received sporadic, second-hand information about her health issues and had not heard from her directly in years. Suu Kyi, who previously spent 15 years under house arrest, was sentenced to 33 years in detention on various charges after the coup, though this sentence was later reduced.

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This included the opportunity to speak with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in private.