Global firms help Myanmar's military make weapons, says report

Myanmar's subject is producing a immense scope of weapons to usage against its ain radical acknowledgment to supplies from companies successful astatine slightest 13 countries, erstwhile apical UN officials say.

The US, France, India and Japan are among those named, contempt Western-led sanctions intended to isolate Myanmar.

The study says the home-produced arms are utilized to transportation retired atrocities against those who reason the military.

Myanmar has been engulfed successful unit since a February 2021 subject coup.

Opponents of the coup, which ousted the elected government, person joined taste rebel groups successful resisting subject rule.

The Special Advisory Council connected Myanmar's study notes that respective UN subordinate states proceed to merchantability weapons to the military.

"An arsenic important factor, however, is the information that Myanmar's equipped forces tin produce, in-country, a assortment of weapons that are being utilized to people civilians," it says.

The firms named proviso Myanmar's subject with earthy materials, grooming and machines, the study says, and the weapons produced arsenic a effect are not utilized to support its borders.

"Myanmar has ne'er been attacked by a overseas country," explains Yanghee Lee, the UN's erstwhile Special Rapporteur connected Human Rights, and 1 of the report's authors.

"And Myanmar does not export immoderate arms. Since 1950, it's made its ain arms to usage against its ain people."

Officially, much than 2,600 radical person been killed by the subject since the astir caller coup. However, the existent decease toll is thought to beryllium 10 times higher.

"When it started... it seemed that the subject could overpower those fledgling absorption movements, but the tide has turned a small spot successful caller months and weeks," explains Soe Win Tan, caput of the BBC's Burmese service.

"What the absorption are lacking is the aerial powerfulness the Myanmar junta has astatine its disposal."

The value of sanctions and planetary isolation imposed successful the aftermath of the coup has not stopped Myanmar's rulers from manufacturing a litany of weapons, including sniper rifles, anti-aircraft guns, rocket launchers, grenades, bombs and landmines.

Alongside Yanghee Lee, the study was written by Chris Sidoti and Marzuki Darusman, some from the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission connected Myanmar.

Their enactment sources leaked subject documents on with interviews with erstwhile soldiers and outer imagery of the factories. Photos person besides been invaluable: images taken successful 2017 beryllium the home-produced weapons were utilized earlier the coup.

Soldiers are seen carrying made-in-Myanmar rifles during the Inn Din massacre, erstwhile Myanmar troops killed 10 unarmed taste Rohingya men.

"More recently, we had the massacres that took spot successful the Sagaing region," explains Chris Sidoti, "particularly the bombing and shelling of a schoolhouse that resulted successful a fig of children and others being killed.

"The weapons that were found, oregon the... subject artillery ammunition casings that were recovered connected that juncture were intelligibly identifiable arsenic coming from those accumulation plants."

Some of the instrumentality utilized to marque weapons is believed to travel from Austria. High-precision machines made by the Austrian supplier GFM Steyr are utilized successful respective locations, the Special Advisory Council says, to manufacture weapon barrels.

When the machines request maintenance, they're shipped to Taiwan, wherever GFM Steyr technicians reportedly reconstruct them earlier they're returned to Myanmar. The study says it's unclear whether the Austrian company's technicians are alert they're moving connected things that volition beryllium utilized wrong Myanmar.

GFM Steyr did not respond to a BBC petition for remark connected the report's findings.

The authors of the study admit they person lone uncovered a fraction of the weapons accumulation network, but a fig of countries are thought to beryllium involved:

For decades, Myanmar's subject has been taxable to a scope of planetary sanctions, but they haven't stopped its accumulation of weapons. The fig of factories is multiplying - from astir six successful 1988 to arsenic galore arsenic 25 factories today.

"The planetary sanctions person been precise deed and miss," says Chris Sidoti. "There haven't been sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, but lone by idiosyncratic states oregon groups of states.

"So, it's been comparatively casual for galore companies to debar the sanctions, by going done different companies successful countries that bash not enforce sanctions, oregon dealing with section Myanmar intermediaries."

So far, it seems that Myanmar doesn't export weapons to different countries. However, it showcased a scope of weapons astatine a Thai weapons commercialized just successful 2019. Bullets, bombs and grenade launchers were each neatly lined up connected show shelves astatine the fair.

"Life successful Myanmar for mean radical is incredibly tough," says Ronan Lee, doctoral lecturer astatine Loughborough University London.

"Myanmar is not functioning arsenic a viable state and I deliberation it's adjacent to interior authorities collapse.

"The accidental for the planetary community, who attraction astir the radical of Myanmar, is present for them to archer the subject that it can't proceed to physique weapons that they are going to usage against civilians."