11 May 2026 By Mon Lay
YANGON, Myanmar — The Myanmar military junta has lashed out at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), accusing the regional bloc of persistent discrimination and violating its own charter by interfering in the country’s domestic affairs.
In a late-night statement issued on 10 May, the junta-controlled Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that despite Myanmar’s “constructive cooperation” and consistent payment of membership dues since joining in 1997, several member states have systematically excluded the regime from high-level summits over the past five years.
The regime argued that ASEAN’s refusal to allow “equal representation” at its meetings violates Article 2 of the ASEAN Charter, which guarantees non-interference in the internal affairs of member states. “Some members continue to exert pressure and criticism, disregarding our sovereign rights,” the statement read.
The diplomatic friction comes shortly after an ASEAN chair’s statement that reportedly “struck a nerve” with the generals in Naypyidaw. “The junta is feeling the heat,” a political analyst told MPA. “They are threatening to follow a path similar to North Korea—an isolated state—as the majority of ASEAN nations refuse to recognize their legitimacy.”
Seeking to bolster its standing, the junta highlighted what it called a “successful and fair multi-party general election” held between December 2025 and January 2026. The regime claimed that over 13 million people—roughly 50% of eligible voters—participated in the polls.
However, the international community and many ASEAN neighbors have largely dismissed the elections as a sham, given the exclusion of major opposition parties and the ongoing conflict across much of the country. The junta continues to justify its 2021 coup by citing alleged fraud in the 2020 elections, a claim that remains widely rejected by independent monitors.
Signalling a potential shift toward further isolation, the statement declared that Myanmar would now focus on a “Myanmar-led, home-grown process” to achieve peace and stability, independent of ASEAN’s stalled Five-Point Consensus.
While expressing gratitude to “constructive partners”—a likely nod to regional allies like Thailand or Cambodia—the regime made it clear that it would no longer wait for a consensus from a bloc it views as hostile.
The rift marks a significant low point in Myanmar’s relationship with its Southeast Asian neighbors. As the military turns its back on regional diplomacy, observers fear a further deepening of the humanitarian and political crisis within the country’s borders.
