BANGKOK, Thailand: Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being held in detention, met a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the capital on Monday, according to the military-backed government.

It is a rare moment in which the Nobel Peace Prize winner has had contact with the outside world since the military took power in 2021 and placed her out of public view.

Photos released with the announcement showed Suu Kyi greeting Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC's representative in Myanmar, and sitting down with him in a room with wooden walls. The Presidential Press and Information Bureau said the meeting took place on the morning of August 3 but did not say where it happened or what was discussed.

Other photos showed Suu Kyi cutting a pink birthday cake with the message "Happy Birthday Aunty Suu, 19.6.2026," indicating the images may have been taken during celebrations for her 81st birthday in June.

In the pictures, Suu Kyi appeared calm, smiling, and at ease. There were no clear signs that she was unwell, although her exact health condition could not be confirmed from the photos alone.

The ICRC office in Myanmar did not immediately respond or give any comment about the meeting.

The release of the images comes at a time when more countries, including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), are calling for access to Suu Kyi or engagement with her as part of efforts to solve Myanmar's ongoing political crisis.

Her younger son, Kim Aris, who lives in London, along with pro-democracy activists, has been running an online campaign asking for proof that she is alive and in good health.

Suu Kyi was detained on February 1, 2021, when the military removed her elected government from power. She has not been seen in public since then. The last official image of her before this release was in April, when authorities moved her from prison to house arrest and reduced her sentence as part of a prisoner amnesty linked to a Buddhist holiday.

Myanmar's military leaders, who have faced international sanctions and isolation since taking power, have tried to show that the country is returning to normal. They have pointed to plans for a 2025 election and increased contact with neighboring countries.

However, critics argue that the shift to a so-called elected government, largely made up of former military figures and officials from the previous system, has not reduced the military's control over the country.

A spokesperson for the opposition National Unity Government said the meeting between the ICRC and Suu Kyi should not be seen as a genuine step toward improving human rights or democracy. "Since, from the outset, a country's leader was wrongfully arrested and imprisoned by finding faults where there were none, she must be released without any conditions," he said.