Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun urges governments to stop the flow of arms to Myanmar’s junta

Mizzima

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, urged governments to stop the transfer of arms to the military junta, saying the transfers deepen attacks on civilians and human rights violations.

He spoke on 22 October in the thematic discussion on conventional weapons at the First Committee of Disarmament and International Security of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.

He said more than 8,500 people have been killed by the junta since the 2021 coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners counted 8,600 as of 22 October. He said the junta’s continued acquisition of foreign weapons increases its capacity to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure.

He urged arms-exporting states to assess strictly, under international humanitarian and human rights law, whether weapons transferred would be used for legitimate self-defense or would harm civilians. He also called for effective measures to stop aviation fuel, dual-use items and related technology reaching the junta.

He said a growing number of people in Myanmar see arms and ammunition exports to the junta as support for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and urged the international community to block the flow of weapons and related materials to protect the lives and property of Myanmar’s people.