JAKARTA: Tougher sanctions are needed against Myanmar’s wealthy and powerful military as its web of economic interests has generated a fortune that helps fund atrocities, UN investigators said on Monday.
They urged the international community to sever links with the armed forces’ dizzying economic holdings — that they said dwarf those of any other civilian company in Myanmar.
Cutting ties will “impair (the army’s) ability to carry out military operations without oversight and thus reduce violations of human rights”, said Marzuki Darusman, chair of the fact-finding mission, ahead of the launch of the report in Jakarta.
The team last year called for Myanmar’s senior generals to be prosecuted for genocide after a 2017 crackdown forced some 740,000 Rohingyas into Bangladesh.
In addition to extensive local partnerships, at least 15 foreign firms have joint ventures with the military, according to the UN report, while 44 others have some form of commercial ties.
“These numbers really are the tip of the iceberg,” investigator Christopher Sidoti said.
Two main military-owned conglomerates — Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) — as well as numerous subsidiaries and “crony companies” have interests in everything from jade and ruby mining to real estate and tourism. — AFP
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