UN Expert: Myanmar’s Military Imported $1 Billion Worth Of Weapons Since 2021 Coup

A UN assessment released on Wednesday claims that since its February 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military has acquired weaponry and related supplies worth at least USD 1 billion from Russia, China, and other nations, some of which it has used to commit atrocities against civilians.

According to Tom Andrews, the UN independent investigator on human rights in Myanmar, the military is responsible for the atrocities, including those that qualify as war crimes and crimes against humanity, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Andrews cited the junta’s April 11 bombardment with a Russian Yak-130 fighter jet on a ceremony attended by around 300 opponents of army control as an example of what he called the junta’s cruelty, which was swiftly followed by an attack by Russian Mi-35 helicopters on those who came to help. He claimed that at least 160 individuals, many of them youngsters, were slaughtered.

Additionally, he added, components and supplies from Singaporean, Chinese, and Thai businesses were used in the machine guns and bombs that were used in the attacks.

Because of a political crisis that was sparked when the military took control, Burma is immersed in conflict. Following its takeover, there were numerous nonviolent rallies that the security forces violently put down, sparking armed resistance across the nation that the army has been unable to put down.

Andrews said at least 22,000 political prisoners have been detained since the coup, at least 3.500 civilians have been killed and 1.5 million people have been forcibly displaced.

From February 1, 2021, when the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic government, to December 2022, the report records over 12,500 transactions that were transported straight to the Burmese military or known Myanmar arms dealers working for the military. Andrews announced this at a news conference.

He referred to the amount and variety of weaponry the military received as “staggering,” noting that it included fighter jets, attack helicopters, drones, upgraded tanks, sophisticated communications technology, radar complexes, and parts for naval ships in addition to powerful missile systems.

Former Democratic congressman from Maine, Andrews, claimed to have learned of the main organisations and businesses engaged in the arms trade with Burma through “very credible and specific information from confidential sources.”

The Human Rights Council in Geneva was informed in a report that the Myanmar military received weapons and supplies worth USD 406 million from Russia, USD 267 million from China, USD 254 million from Singapore, USD 51 million from India, and USD 28 million from Thailand.

28 Russian commercial and state-owned businesses, according to the report, have sent the junta fighter jets and their spare parts, advanced missile systems, reconnaissance and attack drones, attack helicopters, and other systems since the coup.

Between October 2021 and December 2022, the Myanmar military received a wide range of arms, equipment, and raw materials from 41 private and state-owned companies registered in China and Hong Kong, according to the report. These companies provided advanced trainer jets, light attack aircraft, tank upgrades, and repairs for Chinese fighter jets, which make up the fleet of the Myanmar Air Force.

They also supplied aluminum, copper, steel, rubber and lubricants for use in Myanmar’s domestic weapons manufacturing, it said.

Unlike with Russia and China, and to a lesser extent India, Andrews said he received no information indicating that the governments of Singapore or Thailand approved or transferred arms to the Myanmar military.

He said companies in Singapore are of critical importance to the junta, having supplied spare parts, raw materials and manufacturing equipment, especially for Myanmar’s KaPaSa weapons factories. Thai companies have done the same, the report said.

Twelve Thai companies were established after the coup, many by sanctioned arms networks already operating in Singapore, which suggests arms dealers may be looking at Thailand as an alternative route to avoid scrutiny, the report said.

Andrews said Singapore has a policy prohibiting the transfer of arms to Myanmar, and he reported his detailed findings to the government, which he said expressed appreciation for the information and indicated it was reviewing the effectiveness of its export controls.

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If the Singapore government stopped all arms shipments to the Myanmar military, he said, the impact on the ability of the junta to manufacture arms “would be significant.”

Andrews said China and Russia both criticized the report, saying it went beyond his human rights mandate, and accused him of “vilifying legitimate arms trade.” He countered that “identifying the sources of gross human rights violations and atrocities, including crimes against humanity and war crimes, is within my mandate and in my moral obligation.”

Andrews said India responded to the report’s findings that 22 state-owned and private firms shipped a coastal surveillance system, a remote-controlled weapons system, components from an ammunition and missile manufacturer, and 122 mm howitzer barrels by saying these involved contracts with the previous civilian government.

A U.N. General Assembly resolution adopted on June 18, 2021, calls upon all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar, but unlike a Security Council resolution it is not legally binding. The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada and Switzerland have imposed sanctions on arms dealers providing support to the military.

Andrews said the sanctions weren’t coordinated and have been largely ineffective. He called for countries to impose coordinated sanctions that target the networks that procure weapons and also the junta’s finances.