Human Rights Watch (HRW) Myanmar appeared to be scrambling Saturday to tamp down an “administrative error” that resulted in a letter with NGO logos being sent by mistake by its parent office in New York to Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, appearing to confer legitimacy to the illegal junta, critics allege.

The letter was sent by HRW to 193 country leaders ahead of the United Nations Transforming Education Summit to be held at the United Nations in September.

Mindful of the mistake, HRW Myanmar in a Tweet on 13 August offered an apology for the sending of the letter to the Myanmar junta on 11 August.

“Human Rights Watch deeply regrets that a joint NGO letter on the United Nations Transforming Education Summit was sent by Human Rights Watch on behalf of other organizations to Myanmar military coup leader Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and copied to other junta officials. The letter was sent to 193 UN member states as part of an education campaign but unfortunately addressed to Min Aung Hlaing without the knowledge or consent of the partner organizations that were listed or Human Rights Watch staff working on Myanmar. This administrative error should not be construed to imply in any way that Human Rights Watch recognizes the junta as the legitimate government of Myanmar. Human Rights Watch apologizes for this error and formally withdraws the communication to Min Aung Hlaing,” the HRW Myanmar Twitter statement says.

HRW’s administrative or clerical error has prompted criticism from Myanmar NGOs and social media users. Other NGOs with their logos on the letter appear to have been encouraged to respond to the furor created.

The NGO Save the Children issued a statement on social media pointing to the letter and apologizing, saying it was sent out by HRW with “our name added to it, without the knowledge or consent of Save the Children.”

The following are the logos on the letter: Amnesty International, Avaaz, Campaña Latinoamericana por el Derecho a la Educación, Defense for Children International, Global Campaign for Education, Human Rights Watch, KidsRights, Malala Fund, Plan International, Save the Children, World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP), and World Vision International.

In response, Progressive Voice (PV) in Myanmar issued a letter on 12 August on behalf of 386 NGOs in Myanmar addressed to HRW and the other NGOs with their logos on the letter calling for a formal apology.

The core of the PV letter is as follows, stating that the National Unity Government, not the military junta, is the organization that ought to have been addressed in such a call:

“386 civil society organizations are writing to you, outraged by the letter your organizations co-signed on 11 August 2022 in which you addressed Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as “Prime Minister of the Government of Myanmar”. The letter sent to Min Aung Hlaing ahead of the United

Nations Transforming Education Summit in New York also addressed sanctioned individual Wanna Maung Lwin as “Minister of Foreign Affairs” and Kyaw Zeya as “Ambassador Extraordinary” to France and “Permanent Delegate” to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

“This is an affront to the people of Myanmar who have sacrificed their lives to resist the Myanmar military’s attempt to seize power through a brutal and illegal coup.

“Min Aung Hlaing is not the “Prime Minister” of Myanmar, he is the leader of an illegal coup attempt. The military junta is neither a legitimate government of Myanmar nor can it be said to control several key functions of the government. They must not be referred to and addressed as the representatives of the state of Myanmar.

“Min Aung Hlaing and his murderous band of military generals has killed 2,189 and detained 12,000 people since 1 February 2021. They hold no legitimacy in the eyes of the Myanmar people. Rather, this letter should be sent to the National Unity Government of Myanmar which is formed on the basis of the 2020 elections results.

“Several of these organizations work or have worked in Myanmar, purportedly to improve the lives and rights of the people of Myanmar. By issuing a letter that potentially bestows a misguided sense of legitimacy onto the junta is an abrogation of responsibility that these organizations have to their ‘beneficiaries’.

“We demand that you withdraw this letter and make a formal public apology for the gross mistake and misrepresentation. Furthermore, this letter must be submitted to the National Unity Government who are the only entity that can legitimately represent Myanmar at the UNESCO education conference.

“The gravity of the situation also calls for an internal investigation by the signatory organizations. It is imperative that such mistake do not occur again.

“We await your swift action and response to this letter.”

A number of social media users have taken to Facebook to air their criticism.

Reader Hkun Htol commented: “Our children don’t want slavery education of #MyanmarMilitaryGenocide. Could you think our children’s education without #MyanmarMilitaryTerrorists regime. Also mindful of usage of terminology/salutation “your excellency” “Govt of Myanmar” @hrw @UNinMyanmar @amnesty @World Vision.”