Regime Launches Blistering Attack on UN Envoy Julie Bishop

The military regime and its propaganda outlets have unleashed a series of personal attacks on UN Special Envoy for Myanmar Julie Bishop after she criticized worsening conditions in the country since the junta’s staged election. State media branded her an “unpleasant diplomat” and accused her of lacking integrity, reflecting the regime’s anger at her remarks.

On June 19, Bishop highlighted the junta’s abuses during a briefing for UN member states. Her comments infuriated both the regime and the military, which responded with coordinated attacks through their media channels.

The envoy has visited Myanmar four times and met with coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing on three occasions, most recently on May 21.

She has also held meetings with representatives of the National League for Democracy, the National Unity Government, ethnic groups, civil society organizations and most recently with the new Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union.

On June 24, regime newspapers carried articles attacking the UN and Bishop, including one titled “UN Interference and Failures,” and an editorial accusing the global organization of bias and distortion.

The campaign escalated on Thursday, when­ regime outlets—including the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services website, Myanmar military mouthpieces Myawaddy and Yadanarbon newspaper, and other military‑controlled journals—published an “open letter” to the UN secretary‑general in both Burmese and English.

The article, accompanied by Bishop’s photo, portrayed her as a diplomat who brought no benefit to Myanmar, accused her of being incompetent and unprofessional with a history of bullying colleagues, and questioned why someone with a record of such alleged misconduct was appointed as special envoy.

“Why would a major global organization like the United Nations select someone with such evidence of ethical misconduct? It raises the question: was it a failure of due diligence on the UN’s part, or was it a deliberate turning of a blind eye?” reads the article.

Despite the barrage of propaganda, the regime’s Foreign Ministry has issued no formal statement. Instead, the regime has relied on anonymous writers and editorials to launch personal attacks.

The article rejected Bishop’s claims of cybercrime, food shortages, airstrikes, mass displacement and sexual violence as exaggerations or fabrications. It also accused the UN of siding with opposition groups and Western powers.

The Burmese-language Kyemon Daily’s Thursday editorial echoed the criticism, claiming the UN “routinely” accuses Myanmar, and questioning the organization’s impartiality and credibility.

The attacks follow Min Aung Hlaing’s recent trip to China, during which Xi Jinping reaffirmed support for Myanmar’s “full and equal participation” in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN, buoying the regime. Yet, more than 100 days into its rebranded administration, neither ASEAN nor the UN has formally recognized the regime, which is desperate for legitimacy.