In brief
In an unprecedented public moment, Myanmar’s long‑detained democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, shook hands with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation. The photographs are the first confirmed outside contact she has had since the 2021 military coup and suggest she is in good health. Her son has been campaigning for proof of life, while the junta faces mounting international pressure to release her and negotiate an end to the civil war.
In a rare public moment, Myanmar’s former president, Aung San Suu Kyi, was photographed shaking hands with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation after the military coup of 2021.
She appeared calm and healthy in the images released by the junta, the first confirmed outside contact she has had in 2½ years. The footage was captured as part of a humanitarian visit by the ICRC, which “included the opportunity to speak with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in private,” the organisation said.
Her son, Kim Aris, has been running an international campaign for months demanding proof of life. He welcomed the photographs, saying they looked authentic and that his mother seemed to be in “good health.”
The Myanmar military, still under the de‑facto rule of junta commander Min Aung Hlaing, has been attempting to ease its diplomatic isolation through visits to neighbouring countries. It has so far rejected calls to stop aerial bombardments, negotiate a cease‑fire and release Suu Kyi. The release of the ICRC meeting footage suggests that the military may finally be preparing to comply with at least the plea to free the former president.
While no precise details about Suu Kyi’s medical condition were disclosed, the photographs provide a reassuring visual cue that she is alive and well—an important message both to Myanmar’s opposition movement and to the international community grappling with the country’s ongoing crises.
