Justice For Myanmar calls on EU to urgently sanction Myanmar military arms brokers
Over seven months have passed since the EU’s last round of sanctions on Myanmar, and the illegitimate military junta’s campaign of terror has intensified, with indiscriminate airstrikes, shelling, the execution of political prisonersand the murder of school children.
In the past week, at least eleven school children have been killed, the highest recorded number of children killed in an attack since the Myanmar army’s attempted coup in February last year.
The junta’s ongoing atrocity crimes are enabled by their continued access to funds, arms and related equipment, including from within the EU.
Justice For Myanmar calls for an urgent round of EU sanctions, focussing on arms brokers who aid and abet the junta’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.
We have identified 31 companies that have been involved in these activities since the coup attempt that must be sanctioned.
Among the 31 companies documented, only one – Htoo Group of Companies – has been sanctioned by the EU to date.
Some arms brokers we identified have confirmed business links to the EU. These include:
- Dynasty Group & its subsidiaries, which imported parts for Mi-17 helicopters from Russia since the coup attempt. Dynasty International Company Limited procured a fleet of aircraft, and later, parts from the Germany company Grob Aircraft SE. Dynasty Group has been sanctioned by the UK and its director, Aung Moe Myint, has been sanctioned by the UK and Canada.
- KT Group, Ky-Tha Group & their subsidiaries, which have produced arms and equipment for the Myanmar military, including coastal surveillance radar from the French corporation Thales. They have ongoing business with the Myanmar military, financing atrocity crimes. KT Services & Logistics and its director, Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung, have been sanctioned by the US.
- Mega Hill General Trading, which brokered a deal for an air defence weapon station since the coup attempt, and has procured equipment for the military from EU and US companies.
- Miya Win International, which has procured unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the Austrian company Schiebel Corporation and received parts following the coup attempt. Miya Win International has been sanctioned by the UK.
- Myanmar Chemical & Machinery (MCM), which has procured arms and related materiel including tanks and has also been involved in arms production and a technical transfer project producing K-8 trainer jets in Myanmar with the Chinese state-owned arms company, CATIC. MCM’s energy business involves a partnership with Wartsila Corporation. MCM and its director, Aung Hlaing Oo, have been sanctioned by the UK, US and Canada.
Other major arms brokers that have been sanctioned by the US, UK and/or Canada while the EU has delayed action include International Gateways Group, Star Sapphire Group, Sky Aviator and Synpex Shwe.
Last Saturday, a prominent arms dealer to the Myanmar military junta was arrested in Thailand on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.
Despite arms dealer Tun Min Latt’s well-known involvement in arms trading, he has so far escaped international sanctions.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: “Last year, EU members voted in the UN General Assembly to stop the flow of arms to the Myanmar military.
“The EU must take concrete steps to cut the junta’s access to arms, intensifying sanctions against arms brokers and all other business interests of the military junta.
“As long as the junta has access to arms, equipment and funds, it will be able to continue its terror campaign against the people of Myanmar, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with total impunity.
“This week, the junta murdered at least 11 children attending school, and will continue its rampage as long as it has access to resources.
“We call on the EU to stand with the people of Myanmar and sanction arms brokers now!”
More information:
Read our investigation into companies brokering arms and equipment for the Myanmar military here
Read our investigation into companies supplying the Myanmar miliary with arms and equipment from Russia here
