Myanmar junta urges civil servants back after coup

The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s military regime has called on thousands of former civil servants who walked out in protest at the 2021 coup to return to work, promising to lift their names from official blacklists.

The announcement, made on Sunday, comes five years after the army seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, triggering a wave of civil disobedience. Doctors, teachers and administrators were among those who abandoned their posts, many joining the “Civil Disobedience Movement” that became a symbol of resistance against military rule.

In a statement carried by state media, the junta’s National Defence and Security Council said employees who left “without permission” should report to their former departments. It pledged that those cleared of wrongdoing—or who had already served sentences—would be removed from blacklists that have kept many in hiding.

The appeal follows the conclusion of a month-long election touted by the junta as a step toward civilian rule. Watchdogs, however, dismissed the vote as neither free nor fair, noting that opposition parties were barred and large swathes of conflict-hit regions excluded. The dominant pro-military party secured victory in what critics described as a walkover designed to entrench army control.

Since the coup, Myanmar has been gripped by civil war, with tens of thousands killed and more than 22,000 people jailed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Suu Kyi remains in detention, and her National League for Democracy—winner of the 2020 elections—has been dissolved.

The junta’s call for civil servants to return highlights its struggle to restore administrative capacity amid ongoing unrest. Yet with fighting continuing across much of the country and trust in the regime shattered, it remains unclear how many will heed the appeal.

For many, the blacklists symbolise the risks of defying military rule. Removing names may ease pressure on some, but the wider reality is that Myanmar’s political crisis shows little sign of resolution, five years on from the coup that upended its fragile democracy.

-2026-02-02