Myanmar 'parallel government' pressures junta ahead of ASEAN meeting

Creation of National Unity Government highlights diplomatic dilemmas

20210419 Supporters to National Unity Government Myanmar

People march in support of the National Unity Government in Dawei, Myanmar, on April 18. The NUG presents itself as a shadow government in opposition to the junta that staged the coup on Feb. 1. © Reuters

GWEN ROBINSON, editor-at-large and RORY WALLACE, contributing writer

BANGKOK/YANGON -- The formation by Myanmar's anti-coup movement of a "National Unity government" (NUG) led by elected lawmakers from the National League for Democracy has further challenged the military regime's claim of legitimacy and deepened the dilemma facing the international community over how to respond to the crisis in the country.

Deposed leader State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint -- both under arrest and facing a variety of charges brought by the junta -- maintained their positions in the NUG, which presents itself as a shadow government. The rest of the 27-member body, which includes 15 "cabinet" portfolios and 12 deputy ministers, brings together parliamentarians, technocrats, civil society leaders, ethnic representatives and activists in a body that one Yangon-based diplomat described as "the most diverse and inclusive political body the country has seen."

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