Civil servants who participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and recently attempted to rejoin the workforce in Naypyidaw report being subjected to intense surveillance, stringent travel restrictions, and arbitrary arrests, despite promises of amnesty from the military regime.
Following a Jan. 31 announcement by the regime’s National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), former civil servants were offered the chance to return to their positions at ministries in the capital.
The regime stated that individuals would have their names removed from a “blacklist” and could resume work provided they had “committed no crime”—though they did not specify what actions would disqualify an applicant.
The reality of ‘reinstatement‘
Those who have attempted to accept the offer report a reality starkly at odds with the regime’s public assurances.
“I’ve been put under surveillance for over three months since I returned home. I haven’t been permitted to return to my former position,” one former CDM member told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
According to sources, returnees are forced to undergo a five- to six-month “probation period” before their names are officially cleared from the blacklist.
During this time, they must sign pledges agreeing never to abandon their posts again and promising not to communicate with anyone deemed “politically active.”
Furthermore, returnees must report to regime ward administration officials if they wish to travel, though the legal consequences for failing to comply remain ambiguous.
A source close to the regime in Naypyidaw revealed that returning CDM members face severe bureaucratic hurdles, requiring clearance and personal vouching from five different government offices just to be considered for reinstatement.
A trap for the resistance?
For some, the regime’s offer has served as a trap. A former Ministry of Education employee told DVB that several of his colleagues were arrested while attempting to reclaim their jobs in the capital.
Upon returning, they were abruptly accused of joining or financially supporting the armed resistance against the 2021 coup.
The CDM—a sweeping network of state employees who paralyzed the regime’s administrative apparatus by refusing to work following the February 1, 2021 military takeover—has faced relentless persecution for years.
While the National Unity Government (NUG) reported that a staggering 295,802 civil servants originally joined the strike in 2021, the NUG’s CDM Success Committee stated that over 110,000 remain active as of June 2025.
A staggering human toll
The regime’s violent retaliation against striking workers is well documented:
- General Civil Servants: At least 66 civil servants linked to the CDM have been killed and 354 arrested since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
- Healthcare and Education Providers: Insecurity Insight, an agency analyzing threats against civilian workers, reports an even heavier toll on specialized fields, documenting the killing of 163 healthcare providers and the arrest of 906 since 2021.
