With Myanmar’s military junta pushing ahead with a widely condemned “sham election” starting on 28 December, global pressure is mounting to deny the regime any legitimacy. The vote is seen as a desperate attempt by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing to cling to power four years after overthrowing the elected government in February 2021. Campaigning has begun only in junta-controlled areas, while opposition leaders face arrest, torture and constant surveillance
Strong diplomatic rejection
Australia — alongside the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand — has issued a joint statement declaring that no credible election can occur while the regime carries out mass killings and imprisons thousands of political detainees. Australia’s stance reflects, in part, the sustained campaigning of the Myanmar diaspora and their supporters over many years. Parliamentarians from nine countries, including many Australians, have also pledged not to recognise the results. Human Rights Watch and election experts describe the process as “a charade held under the barrel of a gun.” See joint statement
Australian unions intensify their advocacy
Representative of the Myanmar Campaign Network, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Public Service Association of New South Wales formed a delegation to brief the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT). The delegation also met high-level figures including, Senator Lisa Darmanin, staff from Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office and senior officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The delegation demanded immediate Australian sanctions on Myanmar’s state-owned banks and aviation fuel suppliers — measures that would severely restrict the junta’s ability to operate its war machine
“Myanmar is no longer just an internal political conflict — it has become a full-blown regional crisis,” said Ko Saulsman, Manager of the Myanmar Campaign Network.
Under junta control, Myanmar has become the world’s largest hub for online scam compounds, particularly along the Thai border in Myawaddy township (KK Park, Shwe Kokko and others). These criminal networks traffic tens of thousands of people and defraud victims worldwide, with operations extending into Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
Recent high-profile “crackdowns” by the junta — including raids that killed civilians — are widely regarded as staged for international consumption ahead of the election. The military remains deeply involved in and profits from the scam industry; compounds are likely just relocated rather than shut down.
Call for ASEAN and Australian leadership
The Myanmar Campaign Network is urging Australia to:
- Publicly denounce the sham election
- Lead efforts to impose targeted financial and aviation fuel sanctions
- Press ASEAN neighbours to refuse recognition of the vote
Protests and vigils are spreading globally, while inside Myanmar youth groups and civil society are calling for a nationwide boycott under the slogan: “No votes under guns.” As the junta races toward its staged election, the international community faces a clear choice:
“Legitimise military rule or stand firmly with the people of Myanmar in their fight for genuine democracy.”
The coming weeks will show whether coordinated global pressure can prevent the regime from whitewashing nearly years of atrocities with the illusion of an electoral mandate.
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