Companies from at least 13 nations have helped Myanmar build up its capacity to produce weapons that are being used to commit atrocities following a 2021 military takeover, independent international experts have found.
A report released yesterday by the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar details how the nation has stepped up arms production since the army seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, igniting a mass public opposition movement.
The army’s takeover from elected civilian leaders reversed nearly a decade of progress toward democracy after 50 years of military rule. After security forces used lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, opponents of military rule took up arms. Some UN experts have characterized the situation as a civil war.
Photo: AP
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has documented more than 2,700 civilian deaths in the violence, including 277 children, while more than 13,000 people have been detained. The true number is believed to be much higher.
Companies in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East are supporting the military supply chain, the report says, urging those businesses to ensure they are not facilitating human rights abuses.
The growth of the homegrown arms industry comes as some nations have enforced arms embargoes or sanctions against individuals and companies involved in trading or manufacturing arms.
The US Department of the Treasury in October last year imposed sanctions against Aung Moe Myint, a businessman close to the army who it said facilitates arms deals on its behalf. His brother, Hlaing Moe Myint, and the trading company they founded, Dynasty International Co Ltd, were also targeted. One of its directors, Myo Thitsar, also was designated for sanctions.
The US in November then imposed sanctions on aircraft suppliers to the military, citing deadly airstrikes on civilians.
Myanmar has no private arms makers, so any such companies are run by the Burmese Ministry of Defense and Directorate of Defense Industries, the report said.
Local factories still can draw upon licensed technology and overseas supply chains, technical support and other backing, sometimes by sending equipment to Taiwan or Singapore for upgrading and maintenance, it said.
In a statement, council expert Chris Sidoti urged governments to investigate and, when justified, initiate action against companies that enable the Burmese military to make weapons used in “indiscriminate attacks on civilians.”
“Foreign companies that profit from the suffering of the Myanmar people must be held accountable,” said Sidoti, a human rights lawyer and a member of the UN Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar from 2017 to 2019.
A report last year by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights outlined some of those links, naming companies in Russia, China, Ukraine, Israel, Singapore and the Philippines.
A major factor driving the buildup in the domestic arms industry is the risk that imports of arms, military aircraft and other weaponry would be cut off by embargoes or sanctions. The army is now self-reliant in making small arms and light weapons, the report says.
Myanmar’s arms-making capacity includes a wide variety of items from assault rifles and machine guns to mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, missiles and missile launchers, and artillery and air defense systems, it said.
Land mines and naval mines are among other products being made in Myanmar, said the report, citing people who have worked in the industry and also photographs of weapons displayed at a defense and security exhibition in Bangkok that showcased such products.
Weapons factories, known as “KaPaSa,” an abbreviation of the local name for the Directorate of Defense Industries, draw on components such as fuses, optical sights and detonating caps imported from India and China. They also have computer numerical control machines for milling, grinding and other functions made in Taiwan, Japan, Austria, Germany and the US, the report said.
The exact number of such factories is unclear, but analysis of satellite images and other information has identified dozens.
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS