JAKARTA, 4 August 2026—ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) welcomes the recent visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Aung San Suu Kyi as a first step that must not be the last, echoing her son Kim Aris’s hope that it marks “the beginning of transparency, humanitarian access and, ultimately, my mother’s freedom.”
The ICRC confirmed that one of its delegates visited Aung San Suu Kyi on 3 August, in accordance with the organization’s standards and procedures for visiting people deprived of liberty. Myanmar’s military-backed government identified the delegate as Arnaud de Baecque, ICRC’s Resident Representative to Myanmar, and said the meeting took place in Naypyidaw.
“This is a welcome development after years of no access, and we hope it brings more information about Aung San Suu Kyi’s health and well-being,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives and Chairperson of APHR.
“But one visit is not enough. It must be followed by regular and independent access to verify Aung San Suu Kyi’s health, to restore contact with her family, and to secure her freedom. Her freedom must not remain a bargaining chip for the military junta,” Barends added.
The ICRC visit comes just days before Min Aung Hlaing’s scheduled 6–7 August meeting with Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok, and follows a 12 July informal meeting in Bangkok between ASEAN foreign ministers and Myanmar’s Foreign Minister, U Tin Maung Swe.
APHR warns that ASEAN must not let a single humanitarian visit become cover for the junta’s gradual legitimization while the commitments under the Five-Point Consensus remain unfulfilled. APHR urges ASEAN and the international community to demand the urgent and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and at least 22,000 political prisoners still detained under the regime.
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For media inquiries, please email:
Elsa Jade | elsa.jade@aseanmp.org
Myanmar & Crisis Response Program Coordinator
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MARUAH Singapore 