What was delivered

Myanmar's military government handed over gifts from King Charles to the detained former leader and released rare photographs of her, a move critics described as a stunt by the country's military to end its diplomatic isolation.

A presidential spokesperson said on social media that home ministry officials delivered:

• •two gardening books on soil
• •one sealed envelope
• •a sealed diplomatic pouch

The gifts came from King Charles, who is known to have an interest in planting and the environment.

Suu Kyi's detention

The photos showed the Nobel Peace laureate, 81, smiling in a wood-panelled room, a paper calendar on the wall behind her. She is the daughter of the assassinated independence hero Gen Aung San.

Suu Kyi spent much of her life in and out of house arrest for leading pro-democracy movements, and is now serving multiple sentences under house arrest at an undisclosed location in Naypyidaw, the capital. Military rulers have historically been cautious about imprisoning her because of her domestic popularity and her prominence in Britain, where she lived and married an Oxford academic; most other political prisoners languish in jail. Her whereabouts and health were hard to determine until an International Committee of the Red Cross visit in August.

Son's warning

Kim Aris, Suu Kyi's son, who lives in London, welcomed the gifts but warned their delivery should not be exploited by the regime. In a statement, he said: "We must not allow the military regime to use such selective disclosures to create an illusion of normality or gain international legitimacy."

He added: "My mother's fundamental human rights continue to be violated."

Regime's push for legitimacy

The photo release comes as coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, installed as civilian president in April after elections widely condemned as a sham, works to rebuild diplomatic ties.

• •Asean barred him from its summits for not following an Asean-brokered peace plan; he has since made regional visits including Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. During a recent trip to Malaysia this month, he received an official welcome and honour guard.
• •Phil Robertson of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates said the photo op was part of Myanmar's "quest for global legitimacy", adding that Asean has grown tired of arguing with the country's intransigent military leaders and that Myanmar must "play its part by trotting out Suu Kyi at occasional intervals to receive their latest beneficence" for the regional capitulation to look good.
• •Min Aung Hlaing remains under US sanctions for human rights abuses including the 2016-2017 mass killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims that Washington considers a genocide. In a September interview with Time magazine, he said "it would be ideal if the US could cooperate with us".
• •Reuters reported that US and Myanmar officials held talks in Naypyidaw and Tokyo, in part to shut down scam centres that target Americans. The US state department said it is re-examining "the range of tools the United States has historically leveraged to promote core interests in the country". China, meanwhile, has become Myanmar's key global partner.

Suu Kyi remains under house arrest at an undisclosed location in Naypyidaw, serving multiple sentences, while Min Aung Hlaing continues his efforts to rebuild diplomatic ties.