International efforts to isolate Myanmar’s ruling junta appear to have dented its ability to purchase new military equipment from overseas, but the military is still able to access money and weapons for its war against anti-coup forces, a UN expert said in a report published on Wednesday.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from an elected government in a 2021 coup, which sparked financial sanctions imposed on the military, banks and other associated businesses by Western countries.
More than three years on, a protest movement against the coup has evolved into a full-blown civil war, with the military accused of launching air strikes on insurgents and civilians alike as it has lost control of large swathes of territory.
Photo: REUTERS
A report by UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews found the value of weapons, dual-use technologies, manufacturing equipment and other materials imported by the junta amounted to US$253 million in the year up to March.
That was one-third less than the previous year, the report said, thanks to efforts by Singapore to prevent its companies from aiding the junta.
Andrews said the progress showed that sanctions and other international efforts can have an impact on the junta’s ability to resupply, and therefore reduce the military’s ability to launch attacks like air strikes that have killed civilians in their villages.
“The very means by which they are attacking these villages are dependent upon their access to weapons and materials supplied from overseas,” Andrews said.
Myanmar’s military denies accusations it has committed atrocities against civilians and says it is fighting “terrorists.” Officials have played down the impact of sanctions and say they only delay the military’s plan to return the country to democracy.
Andrews looked at purchases by entities controlled by the junta’s defense ministry, identifying US$630 million in military procurement between 2022 and this year.
Exports from Singapore dropped from more than US$110 million in the 2022 fiscal year to just more than US$10 million, the report said.
However, Myanmar’s neighbor Thailand partially filled the gap. Companies registered in Thailand transferred weapons and related materials worth US$120 million in last year’s fiscal year compared with US$60 million the year before, the report said.
“In a striking example, in 2023, Thailand-registered companies became the SAC’s source for spare parts for its Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters that Singapore-registered companies provided previously,” the report said, referring to the junta’s formal name, the State Administration Council.
“The SAC uses these helicopters to transport soldiers and conduct air strikes on civilian targets, such as the April 2023 attack on Pazigyi village in Sagaing Region that killed approximately 170 people, including 40 children.”
The Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday that the country’s banking and financial institutions follow protocols like other major financial hubs, adding that the government would look into report.
It did not respond to the report’s assertion that Thailand-registered entities had transferred weapons and related materials to the Myanmar junta.
“This is a matter of policy which has to be carefully considered, particularly the impact of sanctions on the wider population,” ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said in a statement, referring to Thailand’s overall approach toward Myanmar, including imposing sanctions.
“Thailand has always taken the position not to support any action that impacts the wider population,” he said.
The Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment. A Myanmar junta spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told Reuters in an interview in April that Thailand would not take sides and would address all concerns in the conflict.
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