Detained Aung San Suu Kyi meets Red Cross delegate in Myanmar

Myanmar's detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a Red Cross representative on Monday, the humanitarian group said, her first publicised meeting with 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, according to monitor ACLED.

The coup leader and former junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, was installed as civilian president in April following highly restricted elections, which did not include Suu Kyi's party.

Analysts say the vote was part of an effort to whitewash Min Aung Hlaing's rule.

A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told AFP that its resident representative to Myanmar, Arnaud de Baecque, visited Suu Kyi on Monday.

The visit included the opportunity to speak with Suu Kyi "in private", the ICRC said in a statement.

Suu Kyi's son, Kim Aris, has sought independently verified proof that his mother is alive after she was transferred from prison to house arrest in April following Min Aung Hlaing's change in position.

Kim Aris, a British national, described the ICRC meeting as "an important first step" that brought hope.

He said in a social media post he hoped the meeting would lead to "greater humanitarian access, direct contact with my mother, credible and independently verified information about her wellbeing, and ultimately her immediate and unconditional release, together with all political prisoners".

The Myanmar president's office earlier announced the meeting, releasing photos of Suu Kyi shaking hands and sitting with de Baecque.

The ICRC spokesperson confirmed the veracity of the two images, and said the group did not take them.

"We are happy to see her photo like this... We can know now that she's alive," a veteran politician of her party told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Suu Kyi "should be released immediately as she's being detained unlawfully", the politician added.

Government spokeswoman Khaing Khaing Soe said in a statement that the meeting lasted more than 30 minutes.

Suu Kyi's health was "stable and in good condition", she said, the government's usual description of the politician's well-being.

Suu Kyi, now 81, was moved to house arrest after Min Aung Hlaing said he had commuted the rest of her sentence.

She was detained on a host of charges that rights groups say were confected to sideline her and her popular National League for Democracy party.

A police special branch officer, speaking anonymously for security reasons, said Monday's meeting took place at an ex-minister's house in the capital Naypyidaw where Suu Kyi is living under guard.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed the exact location of Suu Kyi's detention, nor how many years of her sentence remain.

Myanmar has been largely ostracised by the international community since the coup, but analysts say Min Aung Hlaing is seeking to secure international legitimacy.

The 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has excluded member state Myanmar's leadership from high-level summits.

However, neighbour Thailand has been leading an effort to bring Myanmar back into the diplomatic fold, bilaterally and through the regional bloc.

Min Aung Hlaing has travelled to India, China and ASEAN member Laos since becoming president, and he is scheduled to make an official visit to Thailand this week.

Independent Myanmar analyst David Mathieson told AFP that the government-permitted meeting between Suu Kyi and the ICRC representative -- days before Min Aung Hlaing's trip to Bangkok -- was no coincidence.

"It's the old military game plan to use Suu Kyi as a bargaining chip," he said.

"As a gesture to the international community, it's the wildcard Min Aung Hlaing was holding close to his chest."

The Myanmar government could "gain a lot from ASEAN" by permitting access to Suu Kyi, said Myanmar specialist Morgan Michaels.

"Releasing her in particular would go a long way to facilitating Myanmar's re-invitation at the political level," Michaels said.

Suu Kyi's continued detention remains a major sticking point for some despite Myanmar's recent diplomatic outreach.

ASEAN has pressed for its special envoy to meet Suu Kyi, but Myanmar has so far refused.