Myanmar resistance groups demand ASEAN reject regime ‘sham’ elections

Pro-democracy forces in Myanmar, opposed to the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, demanded that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reject any elections organized by the regime in Naypyidaw.

Regime media reported Friday that Malaysia would send observers to monitor its polls, which have been called a “sham” by several Western nations.

“If true, this would amount to a dangerous endorsement of a regime that has massacred civilians, jailed political opponents, and bombed its own people,” Charles Santiago, a former Malaysian lawmaker and the chairperson of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), told Free Malaysia Today on Oct. 11.

A statement signed by 20 anti-regime groups in Myanmar, including the National Unity Government (NUG), the Karen National Union (KNU), and the Chin National Front (CNF), claimed that such elections are illegitimate under the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus — the regional bloc’s peace plan which calls for an end to violence, the release of all political prisoners, and inclusive dialogue.