Myanmar's military government said on Monday that former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the capital, marking a rare contact with the outside world for the Nobel laureate who has been held out of public view since the 2021 coup, reports infohub.kz.
Two photographs released with the announcement showed Suu Kyi shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC's representative to Myanmar, and meeting in a wood-paneled room. The Presidential Press and Information Bureau said the meeting took place on Monday morning but did not disclose the location or details of the discussion.
Two other photos showed Suu Kyi cutting a pink birthday cake inscribed "Happy Birthday Aunty Suu, 19.6.2026," suggesting they may have been taken during a celebration for her 81st birthday in June.
In the photos, Suu Kyi appeared relaxed and smiling, with no obvious signs of ill health, though her physical condition could not be independently assessed from the images.
The release came as calls grow from other countries, including Myanmar's fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), 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 waging an online campaign demanding evidence that his mother is alive and well.
Suu Kyi was detained on Feb. 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She has not been seen publicly since then, and the last official photo of her was released in April, when she was moved from prison to house arrest and her sentence was reduced as part of a prisoner amnesty for a Buddhist holiday.