Myanmar junta rebuffs Cambodian call to halt executions

Myanmar junta rebuffs Cambodian call to halt executions

The Myanmar junta has rejected a call by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to reconsider the planned executions of two of Myanmar’s leading democracy activists, according the BBC Burmese.

Hun Sen wrote to State Administration Council (SAC) leader Min Aung Hlaing on Friday, in his role as ASEAN chair, calling on him to reconsider the plan to execute the two political activists, AP reports.

The SAC had earlier announced it was planning to execute a number of people facing the death sentence including democracy activists Phyo Zeya Thaw and Ko Jimmy.

Hun Sen reportedly said in the letter that the executions would increase international condemnation of the military and complicate Cambodia’s peace efforts in Myanmar, in light of Phnom Penh’s position as the current chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

BBC Burmese reports that the SAC has rejected the plea and vowed to continue with the executions, outlining the junta’s legal basis behind the executions based on allegations against Phyo Zeya Thaw and Ko Jimmy.

The last time Burma executed anyone was in 1989.

More news from Mizzima
June 13, 2026
Junta forces have launched intense military operations and carried out coordinated arson attacks...
June 12, 2026
The US Department of State has confirmed the death of an American government employee stationed...
June 11, 2026
Myanmar junta forces killed 28 civilians, including women and children, in an airstrike on a...
June 10, 2026
More than 19,100 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Myitche region of Magway region...