UN report criticizes $1 billion in arms sales to Myanmar junta
May 18, 2023
Vienna [Myanmar], May 18: Since a military junta seized power in Myanmar in a coup in early 2021, at least $1 billion worth of foreign arms and weapons-making material have entered the country, according to a new United Nations report. The UN Human Rights Council report by Special Rapporteur Tom Andrew names Russia and China as the largest arms suppliers to the junta.Since the coup and the removal of de facto prime minister Aung San Suu Kyi from power, the military has ruled Myanmar with an iron fist. Resistance has been suppressed with mass arrests and repeated airstrikes. In many parts of the country, armed groups are fighting the army.The report cited exports from Russia ($406 million), followed by China ($267 million), Singapore ($254 million), India ($51 million) and Thailand ($28 million). Andrews accused these countries of "either outright complicity, or lax enforcement of sanctions and bans on weapons and dual-use technology to Myanmar," which was formerly known as Burma.
