Sources close to the regime in Naypyidaw told DVB that civil servants who refused to work under military rule and joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) after the coup on Feb. 1, 2021, need recommendation letters from five offices in order to return to their former positions. They didn’t disclose the conditions required for CDM members who have fled Myanmar and want to return.
A CDM member told DVB on the condition of anonymity that those who want to return to their former jobs were asked for recommendation letters from the government department who originally employed them, the administration office in the ward they originally lived in, and the ward they currently live in, as well as the police station and the township General Administration Department.
The regime’s National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) offered former civil servants a chance to return to work at offices and ministries in the capital Naypyidaw without any fear of repercussion unless they’ve “committed a crime,” without specifying what constitutes a crime, on Jan. 31.
“I don’t have confidence [in the regime],” another CDM member told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that he suspects the regime will prosecute any CDM member coming forward under this offer.
A regime employee told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the police check with military intelligence before providing recommendation letters to anyone. Those with alleged or proven ties to resistance groups, who’ve opposed the 2021 coup, may find themselves in legal trouble.
“One of my friends [who joined the CDM] got arrested after asking for a recommendation letter from the police [to return to work],” he added.
The National Unity Government (NUG) CDM Success Committee stated that over 110,000 civil servants remain active in the CDM as of June 2025.
At least 66 civil servants who joined the CDM in Myanmar have been killed and 354 have been arrested since the 2021 coup, according to the human rights monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Insecurity Insight, a data collection and analysis agency concerned with the protection of health workers, educators and civilians in Myanmar linked to the CDM, reported that 163 healthcare providers have been killed and 906 have been arrested since the 2021 coup.
The NUG stated in September 2021 that 295,802 civil servants refused to work under military rule and joined the CDM.
