refugees in Bangladesh.72 Meanwhile, cuts in international aid led Bangladesh and India to forcibly return Rohingya to Burma, driving many to pay human traffickers for perilous boat journeys to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In 2025, the junta confirmed 180,000 Rohingya refugees were “eligible to return” from Bangladesh, yet anti-Rohingya rhetoric from both the regime and contesting political parties show that oppressive and violent policies toward Rohingya will remain, regardless of who has territorial control. 73 “Safe return” for Rohingya is impossible, regardless of who controls the territory Any repatriated Rohingya would likely be forcibly conscripted as “cannon fodder” to fight the AA. 74 The AA itself posed a direct threat, as the UN has documented their abuse of the Rohingya, including indiscriminate attacks, killings, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrests. 75 The de facto ruling AA’s refusal to recognize the “Rohingya” and referring to them as the derogatory term “Bengali” casts a long, dark shadow over their future in any post-sham election scenario. Their fate remains one of the most perilous and unresolved humanitarian crises, with civilian protection and citizenship farther from reach than ever. Sham Election - Sham Economics ● There are no significant indicators that the sham election has or will increase economic confidence. ● The junta’s military priorities – pushing resources and revenue into the war with resistance – will overwhelm any agenda to protect or rebuild the economy. ● The fake parliament is not likely to have the capacity nor the power to address the soaring inflation, MMK depreciation, and goods shortages created by the junta. ● The regime will continue to extract more natural resources and impose more arbitrary taxes, feeding transnational crime, corruption, conflict, and displacement. The junta’s intention of using the sham election to restore international and domestic business confidence has been undermined by its own violence and extortion, which has caused deep, structural, and accelerating problems. Since 2021, inflation has surged while the Kyat (MMK) has collapsed to historic lows, depreciating by around 214% from 1,331 MMK per USD before the coup to about 4,170 MMK per USD by mid-Jan 2026 (see graph). This currency collapse explains both rising prices and the public’s total loss of confidence. 72 Irrawaddy (29 May 2024) Rohingya Forced to Fight Alongside Myanmar Army Tormentors Al Jazeera (4 Apr 2025) Myanmar confirms 180,000 Rohingya eligible to return, Bangladesh says 74 BROUK (25 Jun 2024) New Report: The Intensifying Rohingya Genocide 75 UN General Assembly (25 Oct 2025) Situation of human rights in Myanmar 73 14