YANGON - Myanmar's military-backed government said Monday that Arnaud de Baecque, the International Committee of the Red Cross' resident representative to Myanmar, has met with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest in the capital Naypyitaw.
Several photos were released, including one of the meeting Monday morning and others of Suu Kyi receiving and cutting a birthday cake, believed to have been taken on her June 19 birthday.
In a statement issued hours after the government release, the ICRC confirmed the meeting, saying "a delegate" from the organization visited Suu Kyi on Aug. 3, 2026, and had the opportunity to speak with her "in private."
Neither the Myanmar government nor the ICRC disclosed details of the meeting. Suu Kyi, former state counsellor and de facto leader of Myanmar until 2021, has rarely been allowed to meet with outsiders since she was ousted and detained in the military coup that year.
The meeting comes just days ahead of an official visit to Thailand by coup leader-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing, scheduled to begin Thursday. Observers believe the meeting was permitted to signal to domestic and international audiences that Suu Kyi's treatment has improved as the government seeks greater legitimacy.
A military-backed government was formed in April under President Min Aung Hlaing following elections organized by the military in December and January. It has since issued a series of amnesties and announced Suu Kyi's transfer from prison to house arrest at a designated residence.
Diplomatic sources from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said during the bloc's foreign ministers' meeting in Manila last month that ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, is considering adding "positive developments" involving Suu Kyi to the criteria for Myanmar's return to key political meetings.
Myanmar has been sidelined from the bloc's key summits since the coup due to a lack of progress in implementing ASEAN's peace plan.
ASEAN has been seeking a meeting between its special envoy and Suu Kyi since the 2021 coup.
Suu Kyi was previously allowed to meet with Thailand's then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai in July 2023. Local media also reported in April that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with her during a visit to Naypyitaw.
