NUG Formally Condemns Junta's ASEAN Framing and Election Claims; Calls ASEAN Exclusion Justified

The National Unity Government issued a formal public statement on May 12, 2026, directly rebutting the SAC's narrative that ASEAN and the international community are 'excluding' Myanmar's military. The NUG called the junta's characterization 'politically dishonest,' noting it is 'deeply contradictory for military leaders — who destroyed the 2020 election result through a violent coup — to now demand respect for election outcomes.' The NUG argued ASEAN's exclusion of the SAC from leaders' meetings is fully justified by the junta's failure to implement the Five-Point Consensus, refusal to engage in genuine political dialogue, and ongoing atrocities against civilian populations. The statement followed the just-concluded ASEAN 46th Summit in Kuala Lumpur (May 7–9), where ASEAN remained divided: Thailand's PM and FM pushed for formal engagement with Myanmar's junta-installed foreign minister, while Malaysia's chair rejected any normalization as 'atrocities continue.' ASEAN foreign ministers agreed to hold virtual talks with the junta's FM — the first formal political engagement since 2021 — which the NUG condemned as rewarding impunity. Min Aung Hlaing was inaugurated as president on April 10, 2026, following December 2025 elections rejected as fraudulent by the NUG, US, EU, and most of ASEAN's democratic members. NUG Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung continues to urge international parliaments to deny the new SAC-derived government any legitimacy. The NUG's May 12 statement is significant as the clearest repudiation to date of both the junta's new 'civilian' facade and ASEAN's incremental normalization track.