Junta orders protesting civil servants back

Myanmar’s junta yesterday called for ex-civil servants who quit their jobs in protest over the coup five years ago to report back to work, pledging to remove absent state employees from “blacklists”.

After the military snatched power in a coup on February 1, 2021, tens of thousands of public workers left their posts in a surge of civil disobedience. Last week, the junta completed a month-long election it has touted as a return to civilian rule. But the dominant pro-military party won a walkover victory, which watchdogs say was stacked with army allies to prolong its grip on power.