By AFP and published by Yahoo!News
MYANMAR’S detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with the nation’s Red Cross representative today (Aug. 3), the president’s office said, the first publicised meeting between her and a foreign official since she was ousted in a 2021 coup.
The military deposed Suu Kyi in February 2021, jailing the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and triggering an ongoing civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people on all sides.
The coup leader and former junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, was installed as civilian president in April following highly restricted elections.
Later that month, Suu Kyi, now 81, was moved to house arrest after Min Aung Hlaing said he had commuted the rest of her sentence.
“We are happy to see her photo like this if it’s really her meeting with the ICRC. We can know now that she’s alive,” a veteran politician of her party told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“However, Aunty should be released immediately as she’s being detained unlawfully,” the politician said.
Proof of life
Authorities have not disclosed the exact location of Suu Kyi’s detention in the capital Naypyidaw, nor how many years of her sentence remain.
Her son, Kim Aris, a British national, has sought independently verified proof of his mother’s life after she was transferred to house arrest.
He says he has not heard from his mother, who remains massively popular inside Myanmar.
Since the coup, Myanmar has been largely ostracised by the international community, and the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has excluded the country’s leadership from high-level summits.
But neighbour Thailand has been leading an effort to bring the once pariah state back in the diplomatic fold, both bilaterally and through the regional bloc.
Since his change in position, Min Aung Hlaing has travelled to India, China and Asean member Laos, and he is scheduled to make an official visit to Thailand this week.
Despite the diplomatic outreach, the continued detention of Suu Kyi remains a major sticking point for some nations.
The Asean bloc has pressed for its special envoy to meet Suu Kyi, but so far Myanmar has refused.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters last month that Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe had assured his regional counterparts during a trip to Thailand that Suu Kyi was “in good health”
“We have been told she has been taken care of well but it needs to be proved,” Sihasak added.
CAPTION:
This and Front Page: Myanmar’s detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with the nation’s Red Cross representative on Monday (Aug.3), the president’s office said, the first publicised meeting between her and a foreign official since she was ousted in a 2021 coup. Photo – Handout/AFP and published by Yahoo!News
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