Former FMs, UN experts urge recognition of Myanmar’s ousted president

Two former foreign ministers and three former United Nations experts on Myanmar have called on Southeast Asian leaders to recognise the country’s ousted president as its legitimate head of state and further isolate the junta led by Min Aung Hlaing. In a statement released on Wednesday, ahead of a summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippines, the signatories said the regional bloc should formally engage with Myanmar’s elected representatives, including President Win Myint and the opposition National Unity Government, instead of the military-backed regime. They also called on ASEAN leaders to reject what they described as the junta’s “proxy administration” established following a widely criticised election and Min Aung Hlaing’s installation as president last month. The statement was signed by former Malaysian foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah, former Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya, Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) founding members Yanghee Lee, Marzuki Darusman, and Chris Sidoti, and former Philippine justice secretary and senator Leila de Lima. “ASEAN must starve the junta of the legitimacy it needs to survive,” the statement said, while also calling for an expansion of ASEAN’s existing ban on junta representatives attending high-level meetings to include working-level officials. The intervention comes as ASEAN faces growing divisions over how to deal with Myanmar more than five years after the military coup that overthrew the elected National League for Democracy government. Min Aung Hlaing formally assumed the presidency in April following an election widely dismissed as neither free nor fair. The military has since sought to present the move as a return to civilian rule, while also announcing that detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi had been moved from prison to house arrest. The statement dismissed those moves as “half-measures” aimed at normalising relations with ASEAN and the international community while military attacks on civilians continue. According to the group, March 2026 was the deadliest month for civilians since the 2021 coup, with more than 500 people reportedly killed in junta attacks. The statement also urged ASEAN, currently chaired by the Philippines, to strengthen the role of the bloc’s special envoy to Myanmar through a full-time appointment and increased institutional support. The call contrasts with recent efforts by some ASEAN member states to re-engage with Myanmar’s military authorities. Thailand’s foreign minister this week said he planned to invite his Myanmar counterpart to talks with regional diplomats in an effort to restore engagement with the junta-backed administration. Meanwhile, the Philippines on Wednesday urged Myanmar authorities to allow ASEAN’s special envoy access to Aung San Suu Kyi following the junta’s claims that she had been transferred from prison to house arrest. Win Myint, who was arrested on February 1, 2021—the same day as Aung San Suu Kyi—for refusing to resign as president, was released by the regime on April 17.

Former FMs, UN experts urge recognition of Myanmar’s ousted president

The call comes as ASEAN faces growing divisions over how to deal with the regime that seized power in Myanmar more than five years ago

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