Aung San Suu Kyi, the 81‑year‑old former Burmese president, has finally been seen outside the military’s administration in more than two and a half years. The photographs released by the Myanmar government show her with a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appear to depict a woman who looks healthy and relaxed.
Since the 2021 coup, Suu Kyi has been held in solitary confinement, sentenced to a 33‑year term on widely‑deemed trumped‑up charges, then moved to house arrest. The military has repeatedly claimed she is alive and well, but critics demand tangible proof of her condition for years. Her son, Kim Aris, has led an international campaign calling for concrete evidence that his mother is still alive.
The ICRC meeting marks the first confirmed contact of Suu Kyi with anyone outside the military’s circle since her detention, and it comes as Myanmar’s regime is attempting to reduce its diplomatic isolation through visits to neighbouring countries. High‑level demands now focus on ending aerial bombardment of opposition areas, beginning peace talks and releasing Suu Kyi.
