Thailand to investigate financing of arms deals for Myanmar

Thailand will set up a task force to investigate transactions by its financial institutions that may help the junta in neighboring Myanmar acquire weapons for use against domestic opponents battling to end military rule.

Tom Andrews, special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, told a Thai parliamentary hearing this month that Thailand had become Myanmar’s main supplier of military equipment through the international banking system. 

He called on Thailand to “take a clear and strong position opposing the transfer of weapons and dual use technologies into Myanmar.”

“The Bank of Thailand and the Anti-Money Laundering Office will jointly establish a task force to investigate these transactions that may be linked to the purchase of weapons and military supplies and the Myanmar government,” Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said in a statement.

Nikorndej said Thailand “attaches utmost importance to the human rights agenda and the well-being of the people of Myanmar” and would seek more information from Andrews. 

Authorities would also review measures to further equip and enhance the ability of Thai financial institutions to uphold government policy and positions regarding human rights violations in Myanmar, the statement said. 

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted a government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in early 2021. Pro-democracy activists have taken up arms and joined forces with autonomy-seeking insurgents in a bid to end military rule.

Andrews said airstrikes by the Myanmar military against civilian targets had increased five-fold over the past six months as it lost positions and troops to anti-junta forces.

On the question of cutting support to the Myanmar military, Andrews said in a report last month that Singapore had implemented a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons and, as a result, exports of arms and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost U.S. $120 million in FY2022 to just over $10 million in FY2023.

But Thailand, with no explicit public policy position opposing weapons transfer to Myanmar, saw exports from Thai-registered entities more than double over the same period, from just over $60 million to nearly $130 million, he said.

He named several Thai banks he said were involved in handling transactions for the Myanmar junta or its front companies.   

Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar and hosts many thousands of refugees fleeing conflict there, has tried to promote dialogue between Myanmar's military rulers and opposition forces, but no progress has been made.

Pro-democracy activists handed a letter to the Thai parliament on Thursday calling for sanctions against the state-run Myanmar Economic Bank and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. 

They said the Myanmar military used the entities to buy weapons and aviation fuel and to gain access to international financial markets.

Rangsiman Rome, chairman of the house committee on national security, who received the letter, said the committee would follow up on the issue with the Thai central bank and foreign ministry.

Radio Free Asia is a news service affiliated with BenarNews.