Myanmar: IEU signs open letter to PM

August 4, 2026

Following the visit to Australia of exiled union leader and Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM) president Maung Maung, the IEU has signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong.

Read the joint letter, which calls on the Australian Government to implement the recommendations of the recent Parliamentary inquiry into democracy and human rights in Myanmar.

As a result of the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, more than 4 million people are displaced, 16.2 million people require humanitarian assistance, and 8.5 million people face acute food insecurity in 2026.

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee concluded that the junta’s 2025-26 election was neither free, fair nor inclusive and must not become a “cloak of respectability” for continued military rule.

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The Senate Committee report called on the Australian Government to:

reject attempts to legitimise Myanmar’s military regime;
align sanctions with key allies;
sanction the Central Bank of Myanmar and military-controlled banks;
disrupt jet fuel supply chains enabling airstrikes;
supplement engagement with ASEAN with stronger engagement through the Bali Process;
expand humanitarian, education and safe migration pathways;
expand flexible, locally led and cross-border humanitarian assistance to communities affected by conflict and displacement; and
formalise engagement with Myanmar diaspora communities.