APHR to India: ‘Min Aung Hlaing is Not Myanmar’s Legitimate President’

JAKARTA, 1 June 2026—ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) denounces the Indian government’s legitimization of Min Aung Hlaing and the junta government, as the illegitimate leader visits India from 30 May to 3 June, 2026. APHR strongly urges Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Indian government to withdraw its recognition of the military junta and uphold the democratic aspirations of the Myanmar people.

“Min Aung Hlaing is not Myanmar’s legitimate president. He is the architect of a brutal coup that overthrew a democratically elected government, and has since presided over a campaign of mass atrocities against his own people,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, Member of Indonesian Parliament and Chairperson of APHR.

APHR emphasizes that the principles underpinning India’s foreign policy frameworks—its Neighborhood First Policy and its Act East agenda—rest on the promise of stability, trust, and rules-based engagement with the region. These are the very conditions that years of military brutality have systematically destroyed. None of those principles are served by extending diplomatic hospitality to a general whose forces have killed more than 7,700 civilians, bombed villages, forcibly conscripted civilians, and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.

APHR warns that the international community’s willingness—however incremental, however hedged—to normalize relations with Myanmar’s military junta emboldens its violence and prolongs the suffering of the Myanmar people. India’s role as a democratic nation and an ASEAN Dialogue Partner requires it to act in a way that reflects democratic values.

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For media inquiries, please email:
Elsa Jade | elsa.jade@aseanmp.org
Myanmar & Crisis Response Program Coordinator

Neal Roxas | neal@aseanmp.org
Media & Communications Officer

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