“The Myanmar military and its arms dealers have figured out how to game the system. The report examines why international sanctions on arms dealing networks have failed to stop or slow the flow of weapons to the Myanmar military. The report also documents $28 million in arms transfers from Thai-based entities to the Myanmar military since the coup. India-based entities have supplied $51 million worth of arms and related materials to the military since February 2021. “I implore leaders of Singapore to seize the information within this report and enforce its policies to the maximum extent possible,” the Special Rapporteur said. Andrews recalled that the Government of Singapore has stated that its policy is to, “prohibit the transfer of arms to Myanmar” and that it has decided “not to authorise the transfer of dual-use items which have been assessed to have potential military application to Myanmar.” Singaporean banks have been used extensively by arms dealers. The report reveals that $254 million of supplies have been shipped from dozens of entities in Singapore to the Myanmar military from February 2021 to December 2022. “However, arms dealers operating out of Singapore are critical to the continued operation of the Myanmar military’s deadly weapons factories (commonly referred to as KaPaSa).” “Russia and China continue to be the main suppliers of advanced weapons systems to the Myanmar military, accounting for over $400 million and $260 million respectively since the coup, with much of the trade originating from state-owned entities”, Mr. The Billion Dollar Death Trade: The International Arms Networks That Enable Human Rights Violations in Myanmar. The UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert’s paper, The Billion Dollar Death Trade: International Arms Networks that Enable Human Rights Violations in Myanmaris the most detailed study on post-coup arms transfers to the military to date, said OHCHR.Īccompanied by a detailed infographic, it identifies the major networks and companies involved in these transactions, known values of the transfers, and jurisdictions in which the networks operate, namely Russia, China, Singapore, Thailand, and India. Andrews pleaded for governments to enforce existing bans while coordinating sanctions on arms dealers and foreign currency sources. ![]() While calling for a complete ban on the sale or transfer of weapons to the Myanmar military, Mr. Member States now need to step up and stop the flow of these arms,” the expert said. “The good news is that we now know who is supplying these arms and the jurisdictions in which they operate. “Those providing these weapons are able to avoid sanctions by using front companies and creating new ones while counting on lax enforcement. ![]() Among recent works documenting the ubiquitous corruption that characterizes the arms business are Andrew Feinstein’s The Shadow World (2011), Nick Gilby’s Deception in High Places (2014), focusing on the UK, and Jean Guisnel’s Armes de Corruption Massive (2011), focusing on France.“ Despite overwhelming evidence of the Myanmar military’s atrocity crimes against the people of Myanmar, the generals continue to have access to advanced weapons systems, spare parts for fighter jets, raw materials and manufacturing equipment for domestic weapons production,” said UN Special Rapporteur, Tom Andrews. This was based on a detailed survey of materials not in the public domain, relating to complaints of corrupt activities in international trade, to which he had access. Researcher and former oil industry executive Joe Roeber, in Parallel Markets (2005), estimated that 40% of corruption in international trade was related to the arms trade. The global arms business-especially the international arms trade, but also domestic military procurement-is widely seen as one of the areas of legal business that is most subject to corruption. The cases are also displayed on an interactive map, designed by Tufts GIS Data Lab. It forms part of WPF’s ongoing program on the Global Arms Trade and Corruption. This compendium put together by the World Peace Foundation details 38 cases of corruption in the international arms trade and broader military sector.
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