9 May 2026
ASEAN trade unions and civil society groups slam Myanmar junta's rebranding as civilian gov't
As the first ASEAN Leaders’ Summit hosted and chaired by the Philippines came to a close, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), together with ASEAN trade unions and civil society organisations, released a joint statement rejecting attempts by the Myanmar military junta to rebrand military rule as a so-called civilian government. The statement condemned the installation of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as “President” of Myanmar, describing it as an effort to legitimise the 2021 coup through a tightly controlled electoral process and military-dominated institutions. The groups stressed that the junta’s latest move was “not a democratic transfer of power,” but part of a broader strategy to normalise authoritarian rule and gain international acceptance.
The joint statement warned ASEAN governments and international institutions against recognising the junta’s “civilian façade,” emphasising that the Myanmar military continues to violate workers’ rights, suppress trade unions, and use forced labour. It highlighted the use of Article 33 by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2025 over grave violations of freedom of association and ongoing repression against workers and trade unionists. The groups also raised concerns over the junta’s participation in recent ASEAN labour meetings in Manila, warning that such engagements could be exploited to project an image of normal state-to-state relations despite the continuing political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
Alongside the release of the statement, BWI joined protest actions in Cebu opposing the Myanmar junta’s rebranding campaign and its attempts to pressure ASEAN into allowing full participation in the ASEAN Summit in Cebu. Protesters denounced what they described as the junta’s ploy to “scam ASEAN” into accepting military rule under a civilian mask and called on regional leaders to reject any move that would legitimize the regime. The groups reiterated that ASEAN’s credibility depends on standing with the people of Myanmar, democratic forces, and independent trade unions rather than with those seeking to entrench military rule indefinitely.