4-10-2023 (JAKARTA) Human rights organizations have called on Indonesia to probe alleged arms sales by state-owned firms to Myanmar, a country in which Indonesia has been striving to foster reconciliation following a military coup in 2021, which ignited a wave of turmoil.
On Monday, a coalition of groups submitted a formal complaint to Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission. They claim that three state-owned weapons manufacturers have been providing equipment to Myanmar since the coup. Feri Amsari, a legal adviser to the activists, revealed this information.
Myanmar has been ensnared in violence ever since the military overthrew a government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi more than two years ago.
The complaint’s authors include two Myanmar-based organizations: the Chin Human Rights Organization and the Myanmar Accountability Project, as well as Marzuki Darusman, a former Indonesian attorney general and human rights advocate.
In their complaint, they assert that Indonesian state-owned arms producer PT Pindad, state shipbuilder PT PAL, and aerospace firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia have been supplying equipment to Myanmar via a Myanmar-based company named True North. They contend that True North is owned by the son of a minister in the military government.
As of the time of writing, PT Pindad and PT PAL had not yet responded to requests for comment. The director of PT Pindad previously informed the media that they hadn’t sold any products to Myanmar since 2016. Meanwhile, PT Dirgantara Indonesia stated that it has never entered into a contract with Myanmar or any affiliated third party.
True North had not responded to requests for comment either. However, an undated company profile reviewed by Reuters indicated that it had identified the three Indonesian arms manufacturers as “strategic partners.”
The activists allege that Myanmar has procured a variety of items from these companies, including pistols, assault rifles, and combat vehicles.
Indonesia, as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has been attempting, with limited success, to engage with both Myanmar’s military and opposition to facilitate dialogue.
After the coup, Indonesia voted in favor of a UN General Assembly Resolution urging “all UN member states to prevent the flow of arms to Myanmar.” A spokesperson from Indonesia’s foreign ministry stated that they are currently examining the complaint, while a spokesperson from the defense ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Darusman emphasized that Indonesia’s rights commission, known as Komnas HAM, has a duty to investigate because state-owned corporations are subject to government control and oversight.
The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar disclosed in May that Myanmar’s military had imported arms and related materials worth at least US$1 billion since the coup, primarily from Russia, China, Singapore, Thailand, and India.
