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ASEAN Must Unequivocally Reject Myanmar Junta’s Sham Election during the Summit

October 25, 2025/in Member statements, Press Releases and Statements

We, the undersigned trade unions, civil society, and human rights organisations from across the ASEAN region and international community, issue this urgent and unequivocal call to our governments ahead of the upcoming ASEAN Summit: outrightly reject the Myanmar military junta’s planned sham election. Anything less would be a betrayal of the people of Myanmar and […]

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐚 (𝐍𝐃-𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐚)

October 22, 2025/in News

Before the ASEAN summit, ND-Burma delegates met with the Malaysia Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) to discuss the human rights situation in Myanmar, to protect refugee and migrant workers in Malaysia and to protest against the election by the military dictators. On 15 October 2025, SUHAKAM, led by Chairman Dato’ Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus and Commissioner […]

ASEAN Must Unequivocally Reject Myanmar Junta’s Sham Election during the Summit

October 25, 2025/in Member statements, Press Releases and Statements

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐚 (𝐍𝐃-𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐚)

October 22, 2025/in News

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ASEAN Must Unequivocally Reject Myanmar Junta’s Sham Election during the Summit

October 25, 2025/in Member statements, Press Releases and Statements

The junta’s planned election on 28 December 2025 is an illegal, cynical ploy to manufacture a façade of legitimacy for its rule of terror. This is the same military that defied the people’s landslide verdict in 1990 and staged the fraudulent 2010 polls to disguise dictatorship as reform. To believe its promises now is to wilfully disregard history.

A genuine election cannot take place amid mass killings and repression. It is a charade held under the barrel of a gun. The junta has waged war on its own people, killing over 7,300 civilians, arbitrarily detaining more than 29,000, and displacing over 3.5 million. It has outlawed legitimate political parties, imprisoned and tortured democratic leaders, and enacted draconian electoral laws that impose the death penalty for dissent. As the UN Special Rapporteur stated, this is not an election, but a “fraud.” In fact, this process has nothing to do with the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus; it is a unilateral act of a murderous junta that will only exacerbate the conflict.

The international democratic community has taken a firm stand. The European Union has refused to send observers, calling the poll a “regime-sponsored” exercise with only one possible outcome. In Bangkok, parliamentarians from Ireland, the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and New Zealand reaffirmed their unified rejection of the junta’s so-called election and called for global solidarity with Myanmar’s democracy movement. Respected electoral monitoring bodies, including International IDEA and ANFREL, have unequivocally rejected the junta’s planned election and called it falling short of democratic legitimacy. ASEAN cannot afford to isolate itself by becoming an enabler of this farce.

To grant any form of recognition to this process is to give the junta a green light for more atrocities. This is a regime that bombs villages on holy days and launches airstrikes in the aftermath of earthquakes. Endorsing its electoral charade will only prolong the suffering of millions and add legitimacy to the weapons and aviation fuel it uses to terrorise civilians.

ASEAN member states have a profound moral and international obligation to act. The historic ILO Resolution under Article 33, adopted in June 2025, explicitly calls on all governments to “review… the relations they may have with Myanmar military authorities” to ensure they do not “enable, facilitate or prolong” these gross violations. Likewise, UN Security Council Resolution 2669 and ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus demand an immediate end to violence. Failure to reject this election would render ASEAN complicit in the junta’s crimes against humanity.

The world is watching. ASEAN’s credibility—and its future as a community founded on peace, democracy, and human rights—is at stake. We therefore demand that our leaders issue a clear, firm, and unified statement rejecting the junta’s sham election and refusing to recognise its outcome. There must be no room for vague diplomatic language that the junta can manipulate for its propaganda.

We call specifically on Malaysia, as the 2025 ASEAN Chair, and on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, to demonstrate moral leadership. As a lifelong champion of free and fair elections who has personally endured political persecution, his voice must be the loudest and consistent in upholding democratic values, not just in Malaysia, but across our region.

This is a call for moral clarity, a call to stand on the right side of history.

We urge all governments, institutions, and organisations of conscience to:

UNEQUIVOCALLY REJECT the Myanmar junta’s sham election.

REFUSE to send observers or provide any form of technical or political support.

STAND FIRMLY in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their legitimate democratic representatives.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐚 (𝐍𝐃-𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐚)

October 22, 2025/in News

On 15 October 2025, SUHAKAM, led by Chairman Dato’ Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus and Commissioner Ms. Melissa Mohd Akhir met with members of the Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma

ND-Burma was formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burmese human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims.

The meeting provided a platform to discuss the latest human rights situation in Myanmar including the high rate of civilian casualties and damages to civilian infrastructure caused by airstrikes along with the continued stifling of freedom of expression and assembly. The meeting also discussed the need for the protection and safeguard of refugees and migrants in Malaysia and rejection of the upcoming sham elections that will cause the people of Myanmar to continue to suffer.

SUHAKAM wishes to thank the representatives from ND-Burma for the exchange and looks forward to future engagements.

————

Meeting with Human Rights Documentation Network-Burma (ND-Burma)

On October 15, 2025, SUHAKAM led by Chairman Dato’ Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus and Commissioner Mrs Melissa Mohd Ahir held a meeting with the members of the Human Rights Documentation Network-Burma.

ND-Burma was established in 2004 to provide an avenue for Burmese human rights organizations to cooperate in the process of documenting human rights issues. 13 organizations that are members of ND-Burma aspire to use the truth about what communities in Burma have collectively experienced to fight for justice for victims.

The meeting has provided a platform to discuss the current situation of human rights in Myanmar including the high rate of civilian mortality and the damage to public infrastructure caused by air strikes along with the freedom of speech and assembly that continues to be blocked. The meeting also discussed the need for protection for refugees and migrants in Malaysia and the rejection of fake elections that will cause Myanmar people to continue to suffer.

SUHAKAM would like to thank the representatives from ND-Burma for the exchange of views and hopes to continue cooperation in the future.

#SUHAKAM

Spring Revolution

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Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]
Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 15 to 21, 2024)September 27, 2024 - 8:26 am
Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 15 to 21, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Shan State, Chin State, Rakhine State, and Kachin State from September 15th to 21st. The Military Junta committed arresting, occupying the properties, threatening by using power, and […]

Multimedia

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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