The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) strongly criticized the Indian government for hosting Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing during his visit to India from May 30 to June 3, 2026, warning that the move risks legitimizing the military regime that seized power in a coup.
In a statement released on June 1, APHR condemned what it described as India’s recognition of coup leader—turned—President Min Aung Hlaing and his administration. It also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government to withdraw any recognition of the junta and instead support the democratic aspirations of the Myanmar people.
“Min Aung Hlaing is not Myanmar’s legitimate president. He is the architect of a brutal coup that overthrew a democratically elected government, and has since presided over a campaign of mass atrocities against his own people,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, a member of the Indonesian Parliament and Chairperson of APHR.
The regional rights group argued that India’s engagement with the junta contradicts the principles underpinning its key foreign policy frameworks, including the Neighborhood First Policy and the Act East Policy. According to APHR, these initiatives are founded on stability, trust, and rules-based regional engagement—conditions that have been systematically undermined by years of regime’s violence in Myanmar.
APHR said none of these principles are advanced by extending diplomatic hospitality to a coup leader whose forces have been accused of killing more than 7,700 civilians, carrying out airstrikes on villages, forcibly conscripting civilians, and displacing hundreds of thousands of people across the country.
The organization further warned that any effort by the international community to normalize relations with junta authorities—whether gradual or limited—risks emboldening the coup regime and prolonging the suffering of the Myanmar people.
“India's role as a democratic nation and an ASEAN Dialogue Partner requires it to act in a manner consistent with democratic values,” APHR's statement said, urging India government to align its Myanmar policy with its stated commitment to democracy and regional stability.
