• Tweeter

  • republish

General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the Burmese army. (image illustration) REUTERS / Ann Wang / Photo File

The UN on Monday (August 5th) called for sanctions against Burmese military-led companies.

With our correspondent in Yangon, Sarah Bakaloglou

In a report released on Monday, the UN describes the military's hold on the economy in Burma, as well as its links with foreign companies.

According to the UN, 59 foreign companies have commercial links with two Burmese conglomerates. Groups in the hands of the country's military, opaque in structure, said the report, which includes the Burmese army chief himself.

These foreign companies are mainly Asian: from Korea, Japan, India, China. But there are also some European companies: the French Oberthur, the Belgian NewTec, and indirectly the LafargeHolcim group.

Money used against the Rohingya

For the United Nations, these commercial ties contribute to the financial capabilities of the military and can also contribute to human rights violations.

The UN report also reveals how Burmese companies financed the military operations in 2017 against the Rohingya Muslim minority, victim of "ethnic cleansing" , a direct funding of $ 10 million.

For the United Nations, it is therefore essential that an arms embargo be put in place. In recent years, China, Israel, Russia and Ukraine have sold military equipment to Burma.