OTR: New Zealand MP’s Call For More Attention on Myanmar Crisis

Hon. Phil Twyford and Rachel Boyack of the Labour Party and Teanau Tuiono of the Green Party spent nine days in Thailand at its border with Myanmar, meeting with a host of Myanmar people and groups who oppose the country’s military rule.

They said they will be returning to New Zealand to call for the government to do more on helping Myanmar.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok on Monday evening, all three lawmakers discussed their mission.

Rachel Boyack, MP for Nelson in New Zealand’s Labour Party, says their visit has been important to see things on the ground.

“We spent a significant time on the Thai-Myanmar border, meeting leaders from a range of organizations, with the NGO sector, civil society, NUG, NUCC, civil disobedience organizations, union employer organizations and media talking to them about a range of issues,” Boyack said.

“We have seen a cut in funding into those organizations and we are calling very clearly for the international community to step up and lift their game of how much funding is being provided for the humanitarian need in Myanmar," she added.

Myanmar relied heavily on aid from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) programme, but that was dismantled this year under US President Trump.

Getting aid into the country has always been an issue with reduced funding, access to conflict-torn areas and the military blocking potential assistance.

“We all believe that the focus on Myanmar has been lost within the international community. We want to see a greater focus on Myanmar. There needs to be a lift in humanitarian aid and a focus on getting that aid where it needs gets to,” she added.

In February 2021 Myanmar’s military, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, ousted the democratically elected government and seized power. Protests soon ensued nationwide, but since then the junta have violently cracked down on dissidents and opposition groups. Myanmar is now in a state of civil war with several opposition and ethnic armed organisations resisting military rule. An estimated 3.5 million have been displaced, with over 7,300 killed by the military according to rights groups.

Thailand shares a 1,500-mile border with Myanmar, where conflict has been constant since the coup. Thousands of Myanmar refugees, opposition groups and media have fled over the border, living precariously in Thailand to stay safe.

This allows journalists, NGO’s, and politicians a firsthand look of the impact the civil war is having on the people of Myanmar.

Hon. Phil Twyford, MP for New Zealand’s Labour Party stressed that Myanmar’s plight must not be forgotten, “Don’t forget Myanmar. It’s four and half years since the coup, and the level of human suffering is greater than ever. Our message is Myanmar is the worst conflict in Asia and the major source of forced displacement. If you care about human rights and democracy, then don’t look away."

“To the New Zealand government, and its like-minded friends, the Australians, the Europeans, Canada, Japan, the EU – these groups have consistently said the right things over the last few years. But the people of Myanmar need more than that, action and commitment,” he added.

New Zealand government was one of several western governments who condemned the military and have called for Myanmar to return to a civilian government and to release any who have been arbitrarily detained.

According to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners of Burma, nearly 30,000 people have been arrested and over 22,000 still remained detained in Myanmar since the coup.

Wellington have also implemented several measures to pressure the military regime, including the suspension of high-level political and defence engagements and travel bans on those associated with the coup. Furthermore, New Zealand have seen to that their international development programme does not benefit the military regime and that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will not operate between New Zealand and Myanmar.

The EU, Britain, United States, and Canada have all imposed a variety of sanctions on Myanmar’s military regime and its entities in recent years in efforts to cease its violent crackdown. The conflict has also seen Myanmar’s economy heavily decline with a bleak 2.5% GDP contraction forecasted for 2025, according to a report by the World Bank.

But despite the pressure, Myanmar has turned to its few allies for support including China and Russia.

China in particular is Myanmar’s closest friend and the country’s biggest trade partner. In what is seen as a sign of endorsement and support, Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing has met with China President Xi Jinping twice this year already. But for decades, Beijing has supplied the Myanmar military with arms, while investing billions into the country’s crucial oil and gas sector.

Twyford gave a staunch message to Beijing. 

He said, “I believe without China’s support, the war criminal Min Aung Hlaing would not be in power today. That makes China complicit in his war crimes and his crimes against humanity. And that does not seem to be the behaviour of a respected great power. I want to say to China, if stability on your border, and protection of your infrastructure corridor and access to natural resources, if these are your foreign policy goals, then we doubt whether your support for this hated regime, actually supports your objectives."

“We say to China, that you are propping up probably the world’s worst military dictatorship.”

More attention will be on Myanmar this year after the junta announced it will hold nationwide elections on December 28, despite recent surveys revealing the military controls less than a quarter of Myanmar’s territory.

Critics have called the elections a sham that will not be free or fair. Myanmar opposition groups have said they will boycott the military polls.State media in Myanmar that over 50 parties have registered for the election. Myanmar’s Constitution revised in 2008, there must be 25% of seats reserved for serving military officers.

The Southeast Asian country last held elections in November 2020. But the outcome was the pre-text for the military’s coup after the then ruling National League for Democracy swept the polls in a landslide victory which the military claimed was because of electoral fraud.

State media in Myanmar reported that over 50 parties have registered for the election. Myanmar’s Constitution revised in 2008, there must be 25% of seats reserved for serving military officers.

The Southeast Asian country last held elections in November 2020. But the outcome was the pre-text for the military’s coup after the then ruling National League for Democracy swept the polls in a landslide victory which the military claimed was because of electoral fraud.

Three NZ MPs met with various group in Thailand including the members of the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Bangkok. Photo: Tommy Walker

Teanau Tuiono, MP for New Zealand’s Green Party said their message to the New Zealand government is clear.

“The first key message is that we are going to call on the New Zealand government to reject the sham election,” Tuiono said.

“We listened to all the organisations and Myanmar communities, we have met with over 30 organisations, and one of the strong messages consistently across all of those groups was to tell us we need to reject the sham election, and that is conclusion we have come to as New Zealand MP’s. There is not any trust I heard for this upcoming election,” Tuiono added.

Myanmar has also other widespread issue and the country is now a hotbed for criminal activity on its borders.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked to Myanmar via Thailand to operate online scamming activities in recent years.

Online rackets, which include swindling money in fake romance, financial investment, cryptocurrency and illegal gambling schemes, are usually operated by Chinese criminal networks operating in the country. Scam centres in Myanmar contribute to a worldwide billion-dollar industry according to monitoring groups.

Myanmar’s illegal drug production of methamphetamine has also ramped up in recent years since the coup, with a 24% increase from 2023 to 2024 according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Methamphetamine has become a problem in New Zealand, with it a 300% increase in Waipukurau in 2024 according to local reports.

According to the Stats NZ, in the year ended June 2025, New Zealand and Myanmar traded a total value of $35.69 million. Most exports to Myanmar are listed under travel and dairy products and services, while imports include apparel, leather, vegetables and wood. 

-Asia Media Centre