Urgent Call to Reject Myanmar’s Sham 2025 Election and Stand for Regional Stability

Open letter to:

H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN

H.E. Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, Chair of ASEAN 2025

H.E. Tan Sri Othman Hashim, the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar

H.E. Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Minister of Foreign Affairs II of Brunei Darussalam

H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia

H.E. Sugiono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia

H.E. Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR

H.E. Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines

H.E. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore

H.E. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand

H.E. Bui Thanh Son, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

Subject: Urgent Call to Reject Myanmar’s Sham 2025 Election and Stand for Regional Stability

Your Excellencies,

As ASEAN prepares for discussions on Myanmar ahead of the September 19 engagement, we, undersigned 315 organisations, write with utmost urgency. The Myanmar military junta’s planned “General Election” in December 2025 is not a step toward peace or democracy. It is a trap designed to entrench military rule and distract the region from four years of escalating atrocities since the February 2021 coup.

The time has come for ASEAN to act with clarity and courage.

The Reality on the Ground

The junta now controls only about 21% of the country. The rest are governed or defended by legitimate resistance forces; National Unity Government (NUG), Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations (EROs), and local administrations. Since February 2021, the junta has carried out more than 7,000 airstrikes, bombing schools, hospitals, monasteries, and even disaster- hit communities after the March 2025 earthquake. In July 2025 alone, at least 838 atrocities were recorded, including massacres in monasteries, schools, and hospitals, alongside mass forced conscription. Junta is mainly responsible for more than 3.5 million war victims who are displaced, with hundreds of thousands fleeing across ASEAN borders.

A Sham Election without legitimacy and rejected by its own people

This election is neither free, fair, nor credible. Political opponents remain in prison, independent media has been silenced, and pro-democracy parties are banned. Military- drafted laws guarantee that only junta proxies can compete.

The people of Myanmar overwhelmingly reject this ploy, not out of uncertainty but from hard-earned experience. In 2010, elections staged under the guise of “reform” misled parts of the international community into engagement. In practice, they entrenched military dominance, delayed genuine democratic change, and paved the way for the 2021 coup d’état which overturned a decade of fragile progress and has since plunged the country into even deeper violence and conflict.

Why ASEAN Must Act

ASEAN has rightly recognised that elections in Myanmar are “not a priority” and risk worsening the crisis. This clear-sighted position shows ASEAN’s understanding that military- led polls cannot deliver peace, stability, or democratic legitimacy. Such sham elections also directly violate the spirit of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, which calls for dialogue, de- escalation, and inclusive political solutions.

Such leadership is vital, as Myanmar’s crisis directly threatens the region: mass displacement, illicit trade, arms and drug trafficking, refugee flows, and economic instability all undermine collective security. Any engagement with the junta would further erode ASEAN’s unity and credibility. Collectively, these positions underscore a growing regional consensus: military-run elections will only entrench dictatorship and extend instability.

Our Call

We respectfully urge ASEAN to:

1. Publicly and proactively declare the 2025 sham election illegitimate, before silence is misused as tacit approval.
2. Refrain from providing any technical, logistical, or financial support for this political theatre, and do not send observers.
3. Apply targeted measures to block military leaders, their relatives, and associated businesses, including those connected to weapons and aviation fuel.
4. Recognise and engage with legitimate representatives: the NUG, NUCC, CRPH, EROs, federal units, strike committees, and grassroots civil society who are building a federal democratic future.
5. Deliver humanitarian and political support exclusively through non-junta channels, ensuring aid reaches people, not the perpetrators of war crimes.

Conclusions

The people of Myanmar have resisted military tyranny for more than four years, at immense personal cost. ASEAN’s integrity now rests on whether it stands with them or enables those who destroyed their lives. History will remember ASEAN’s choice at this critical moment.

Rejecting the sham election and engaging with Myanmar’s legitimate representatives will strengthen ASEAN’s credibility and lay the foundation for peace and prosperity across Southeast Asia.

We urge ASEAN to take a principled stand.

Most respectfully,

On behalf of the people in Burma/Myanmar, the Myanmar diasporas communities around the world, and International and Local Civil Society Organizations

This letter is endorsed by 315 civil society organisations, of which 26 have chosen to remain undisclosed for security reasons.

1. 5/ of Zaya State Strike Committee
2. 8888 Generation (New Zealand)
3. 96 DoNation
4. Action Against Myanmar Military Coup (Sydney)
5. Action Committee for Democracy Development (ACDD)
6. Against The Fear
7. Ah Nah podcast – conversations with Myanmar
8. Ah Nyar Myay
9. All Arakan Youth Organizations Network (AAYON)
10. All Young Burmese League (AYBL)
11. All Burma Democratic Force in New Zealand
12. Alliance for Democracy in Myanmar
13. Anti-coup Forces Coordination Committee (ACFCC-Mandalay)
14. Anti-Junta Alliance Yangon-AJAY
15. Anyar Pyit Taing Htaung Lay Myar
16. Arakan CSO Network
17. Arakan National Democratic Party – Japan (ANDP Japan)
18. Arakan Youth Peace Network (AYPN)
19. Asoka Sukha (Gumi)
20. Association of Spring Rainbow (ASR)
21. Association of United Nationality in Japan (AUN)
22. Association Suisse-Birmanie
23. Athan – Freedom of Expression Activist Organization
24. Aung San Suu Kyi Park Norway
25. Australian Coalition for Democractic Burma
26. Australian Karen Organisation Inc
27. A-Yar-Taw People Strike Steering Committee
28. Ayeyarwaddy West Development Organisation (AWDO)
29. Blood Money Campaign (BMC)
30. Bothanchaung Supporting Group
31. Brothers of Comrade-in-arms (Busan)
32. Budalin Strike Force
33. Burma Action Ireland
34. Burma Campaign UK
35. Burma Canadian Network
36. Burma Human Rights Network
37. Burma Refugee Saving Association (B.R.S.A)
38. Burmese Community Support Group (BCSG)
39. Burmese Friendship Association
40. Burmese Medical Association Australia (BMAA)
41. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK)
42. Burmese Community Group (Manawatu, NZ)
43. CAN-Myanmar
44. CDM Medical Network
45. CDM Medical Network (CDMMN)
46. Chaung Oo Township Youth Strike Committee
47. Chin Community in Norway
48. Chin Community of Japan (CCJ)
49. Chin Youth Organization of Japan（CYO-Japan)
50. Chin Youth Organization-South Korea
51. Citizen of Burma Award – New Zealand
52. Civil Information Network (CIN)
53. Colorful Spring
54. Connect
55. CRPH & NUG supporters Ireland
56. CRPH Funding Ireland
57. CRPH, NUG Support Team Germany-Deutschland
58. Dagon University Student’s Union (DUSU)
59. Dawei Youths in Japan (DYJ)
60. Defend Myanmar Democracy (DMD)
61. Democratic Party for a New Society, Norway
62. DFW Myanmar Ethnic Community (DFWMEC)
63. Doh Atu – Ensemble pour le Myanmar
64. Dragon Dawn
65. Dunedin Myanmar Community-New Zealand
66. Equality Myanmar (EQMM)
67. Ethnic Youth General Strike Committee (Mandalay)
68. Federal Corner Organization
69. Federal Health Workforce
70. Federal Myanmar – Japan
71. Fédération des Pays Asiatiques pour les droits humains
72. Federation of Workers’ Union of Burmese Citizens in Japan (FWUBC)
73. Fight For Democracy Kyushu Japan
74. Free Burma Action Committe – Sacremento
75. Free Burma Action Committe – San Francisco
76. Free Burma Action Committe- Central Valley
77. Free Burma Action Committe- Northern California
78. Free Rohingya Coalition (FRC)
79. From Singapore to Myanmar (FS2M)
80. General Strike Collaboration Committee (GSCC)
81. General Strike Committee of Basic and Higher Education (GSCBHE)
82. Generation Wave
83. Generation XYZ (Busan)
84. Generations’ Solidarity Coalition Nationalities (GSCN)
85. Gentech international
86. GenY For Revolution Japan
87. Geoje Myanmar Community
88. German Solidarity Myanmar e.V.
89. Gimhae Spring Revolution Group
90. Gimpo Myanmar Friends Korea
91. Global Myanmar Spring Revolution (GMSR)
92. Global Myanmar Spring Revolution – Japan
93. Global Myanmar Spring Revolution – Korea
94. Golden Brethren’s From Korea (G.B.K)
95. Golden Ray of Light (Myanmar Community)
96. Gwangju Myanmar Association (Korea)
97. Gyeongnam Youth Association
98. HANGUKYWA – Burmese Information Network in Korea
99. Hiroshima Myanmar Community (HMC)
100. Hpakant Hmawlae Strike Force
101. HRDF volunteer
102. India for Myanmar
103. Industrial Training Centre (ITC) Family Sydney
104. Info Birmanie
105. Interim University Council of University of Medicine 2
106. Interim University Council of University of Nursing, Mandalay
107. International Association, Myanmar-Switzerland (IAMS)
108. International Society of Myanmar Scholars and Professionals (ISMSP-MM)
109. Italia-Birmania Insieme
110. Japan Myanmar Future Creative Association (JMFCA)
111. Jeju Myanmar Community
112. Junta Denouncing Committee (Korea)
113. Justice 4 Myanmar – Hope & Development
114. Justice and Equality Focus (JEF)
115. Justice Movement for Community-Innlay
116. Kachin Affairs Organization -Japan (KAO (Japan)
117. Kachin Association Australia
118. Kachin Association Norway
119. Kalay Township People’s Strike Steering Committee -KPSSC
120. Kalay-Kabaw Brothers Group
121. Kanbalu Strike Force
122. Kani Strike Force
123. Kansai Group Japan
124. Karen National League Japan-KNL
125. Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN)
126. Karenni National Society (KNS) Japan
127. K’cho Ethnic Association( Europe)
128. Khayan Supporting Community – Korea
129. Korea Myanmar Solidarity
130. KTJ Supporting Group
131. Kyauktada Strike Committee (KSC)
132. La Communauté Birmane de France
133. Latpadaung Anti-coup Strike Force
134. Latpadaung Region Strike Committee
135. Lattpantaung Taung Pinma
136. League For Democracy in Burma (L.D.B Japan)
137. Let’s Help Each Other (LHEO)
138. LGBT Alliance Myanmar
139. Magway People’s Revolution Committee
140. Magway Region Human Rights Network (MHRN)
141. Mandalay Medical Family (MFM)
142. Mandalay Strike Force (MSF)
143. MASBO-Myanmar Active Students & Businesspeople Organisation
144. MayMyo Strike Force
145. Mindat Chin Community NSW
146. Minority Affairs Institute
147. Moe Yu Spring Revolution Market
148. Mon Youth for Federal Democracy (MYFD)
149. Monywa People’s Strike Steering Committee
150. Monywa-Amyint Road Strike Leading Committee
151. Myanmar action group Denmark
152. Myanmar Campaign Network (Australia)
153. Myanmar Catholic Community In Norway
154. Myanmar Community
155. Myanmar Community Coffs Harbour (MCC)
156. Myanmar Community in Norway
157. Myanmar Democrati Force ( Denmark )
158. Myanmar Development Support Group (MDSG)
159. Myanmar Engineering Association of Australia (MEAA)
160. Myanmar Federal Democratic Mission Coalition – Korea (MFDMC)
161. Myanmar Global Support Foundation (MGSF)
162. Myanmar Hindu Union
163. Myanmar Labour Alliance (MLA)
164. Myanmar Nationalities’ Support Organization – JP (MNSO)
165. Myanmar Refugee Policy Group
166. Myanmar Revolution Supporters (MRS)
167. Myanmar Spring Helping Hands
168. Myanmar Spring Revolution Japan (MSRJ)
169. Myanmar Spring Revolution Supporters South Korea
170. Myanmar Worker Welfare Center (Korea)
171. Myanmar Youth and Student Association, Japan (MYSA)
172. Myanmar Community Christchurch-New Zealand
173. Myanmar Student’s Union in New Zealand
174. Myanmar’s Youth Association Hokkaido (MYAH)
175. Myaung People Strike Steering Committee
176. Myaung Youth Network
177. MyaYar Knowledge Tree
178. Myingyan Civillian Movement Committee
179. Myingyan-GZ Group (Korea)
180. Myinmu Supporting Organization
181. National League for Democracy (Organizing Committee) Japan (NLD OC JP)
182. National League for Democracy Organizing Committee (International/Korea)
183. Nelson Burmese Community New Zealand
184. New Myanmar Foundation
185. New Zealand Doctors for NUG
186. NLD Organization Committew (International) Norway
187. Norway Matu Community
188. Norway Rvwang Community
189. NRFF – New Rehmonnya Federated Force
190. NSW Karenni (Kayah) Communities
191. NYCBC (New York City Burmese Community)
192. NZ Campaign for Myanmar
193. OCTOPUS (Youth Organization)
194. Okinawa Myanmar Association (OMA)
195. Olive organization
196. Our Force
197. Overseas Karen Organization-Japan (OKOJ)
198. Overseas Mon Association-New Zealand
199. Pa.oh Political Corporation Committee in Japan (PPCC-Japan)
200. Paju Myanmar Community
201. Pakokku Youth Development Council
202. Palaung National Society Japan, PNS-Japan
203. Pale Township People’s Strike Steering Committee
204. Palmerstan North Karen Community-New Zealand
205. Peacock Brothers Support Team
206. People’s Hope Spring Revolution (PHSR)
207. Photographer’s Supporting – Korea (PSK)
208. Pocheon Myanmar NUG Youth Organization
209. Progressive Muslim Youth Association (PMYA)
210. Punnyakari Mon National Society Japan,PMNS-Japan
211. Purple Window Counselling
212. Queers of Burma Alternative
213. Revolution Tokyo Myanmar (RTM)
214. Rise Again Myanmar (RAM)
215. Rohingya Community in Norway
216. Rvwang Community Association- New Zealand
217. Saitama Pamphlet Campaign
218. Save Myanmar – USA
219. Save Myanmar (San Francisco Bay Area)
220. SEARCH Foundation
221. Shan Community in Japan (SCJ)
222. Shan Community – New Zealand
223. ShizuYouth For Myanmar
224. Shwe Bo Strike Force
225. Shwe Pyi Thar Strike Committee
226. Sitt Nyein Pann Foundation
227. SMDC
228. Sodegaura Myanmar Yuko Association
229. South Yangon District Supporting
230. Southern Initiatives
231. Southern Shan Nationalities Liberation Organization
232. Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Community _SRMMC
233. SRR Restaurant
234. Sujata Sisters Group- New Zealand
235. Support for Myanmar
236. Support Group for Democracy in Myanmar (The Netherlands) with Myanmar community
237. Suwon Migrants Center (Myanmar Community)
238. Sydney Friends for Myanmar Unity
239. Sydney Peace and Justice Coalition
240. Synergy – Social Harmony Organization
241. Tai Youths Network Japan (TYNJ)
242. Taunggyi University Students’ Union (TGUSU)
243. Thaung Yin News and Media Website
244. The Institution of Professional Engineers Myanmar (IPEM)
245. Try Together At Japan (TTAJ)
246. Uijeongbu Myanmar Community
247. Union of Karenni State Youth (UKSY)
248. United Hands for New Myanmar (UH4NM)
249. United Myanmar Alliance
250. University of Medicine Mandalay Student Union Revolutionary Front – UMMSURF
251. University Students’ Unions Alumni Force
252. Voice For Justice
253. Volunteers in Myanmar
254. We for All
255. We Love Mother Land – Korea
256. Wetlet Revolution Leading Committee
257. White Coat Society Yangon (WCSY)
258. White Raindrops Charity Foundation
259. Women Activists Myanmar (WAM)
260. Women Advocacy Coalition Myanmar
261. Women Alliance Burma (WAB)
262. Women Lead Resource Center
263. Women’s Peace Network
264. Yadanabon University Students’ Union (YDNBUSU)
265. Yain Nweh Par (Rainbow Win The Storm -RIS) – ယိမ ်းနပွဲ့  ်း
266. Yangon Deaf Group
267. Yangon People’s Strike
268. Yaw Funding Japan
269. Yaw Funding Korea
270. Yaw People’s Revolution Committee (ယယောလူထုတိုက ပ ယကော မတီ)
271. Yesagyo Support Team (SYSO)
272. Yinmarpin and Salingyi All Villages Strike Committee
273. Yokohama Pamphlet Campaign – Myanmar
274. Youth Action For Myanmar
275. Youth Empowerment (YE)
276. Youth for Democratization of Myanmar (UDM)
277. Youth Heart Beams
278. Zomi Association Australia Inc.
279. Zomi Christian Fellowship of Norway
280. Zomi Community Norway
281. ယက ်းလက ယ မ
282.   ပည သူဝူ့န ထမ ်းမ  ော်းသမဂ္ဂ  (PSU)
283. မ ိ ်းဆက -Generations
284.  မန မောနိုင ငံလံု်းဆုိင ရော ဆရော/ဆရောမမ ော်းအဖ ွဲ့ခ ပ    
285. လက ပံယတောင ်းယတောင ပင မသပိတ  
286. လူမ ိ ်းယပ င ်းစံုဒီမိုကရက တစ လူငယ အဖ ွဲ့ခ  ပ  (ANYLD)
287. သမိုင ်းသယ ယဆောင သူမ ော်း
288. အညောလ င ပင ရပ ဝန ်း
289. ဧရောဝတီလူငယ  မ ော်းသမဂ္ဂ  (AYU)

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