Myanmar resistance denies talks with junta in Indonesia

Myanmar’s main resistance groups have rejected online rumours claiming they held talks with junta officials during a recent forum in Indonesia, insisting the two sides never met and attended entirely separate events.

Representatives who travelled to Jakarta told The Irrawaddy that the claims circulating on social media were based on confusion over who attended which Indonesian government workshops, and when. One delegate said the groups “did not attend any session with the junta” and were unaware of the regime’s schedule.

The resistance organisations had been invited to a forum titled Sharing Indonesia’s Experiences on Nation‑Building, which focused on Indonesia’s own political transition and how those lessons might apply to Myanmar’s crisis. According to the BBC, a junta delegation led by Major Soe Naing Oo had also been in Indonesia since 1 December, but resistance figures say the regime attended a separate workshop altogether.

Some attendees acknowledged that Indonesia may have hoped the parallel events could open the door to future dialogue. Several ASEAN governments and international actors have long pushed for political talks between the junta and opposition forces, despite the ongoing conflict.

The National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), an umbrella body for resistance groups, said it received an invitation on 4 November from Indonesia’s Office of the Special Envoy on the Myanmar Issue. The NUCC only agreed to send representatives after receiving assurances that junta officials would not be included in their sessions. Their workshop ran from 25 to 30 November—five days before the junta delegation reportedly attended its own programme.

Participants included representatives from the National Unity Government (NUG), the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), and several ethnic armed organisations such as the KNU, KNPP, CNF, PNLO, PNFC, RCSS and others.

Resistance groups said none of the documents provided by Indonesia mentioned any joint meeting with regime officials. They also pushed back when Indonesian facilitators referred to the junta as Myanmar’s “government”, reiterating that they reject the legitimacy of the 2021 coup and the military’s planned election.

One attendee said the groups used the forum to underline their core message: that the international community should not recognise the junta or its electoral process, but instead support Myanmar’s population, which continues to face repression and violence.

Indonesia has hosted several Myanmar‑related dialogues in recent years, including a high‑level meeting in 2024 involving UN, EU and ASEAN envoys. The junta did not attend that session.

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-2025-12-08