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Corporate donations of at least US$55.8 million marked for earthquake relief in Myanmar may actually be aiding the military junta in ongoing international crimes and widespread human suffering, warns Justice For Myanmar.
In the aftermath of the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and neighbouring countries, the junta has sought donations from multinational companies and Myanmar cronies.
Multinational donors include Japan’s major retail chain AEON, the Chinese conglomerate CITIC Group and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which have all made donations through military-controlled channels.
The AEON 1% Club Foundation made donations of relief supplies valued at 10 million yen (US$70,000) to the junta-controlled Myanmar embassy in Tokyo on April 2. AEON operates multiple businesses in Myanmar which remain active, according to the corporate registry.
CNPC, which operate the controversial Myanmar-China oil and gas pipelines, donated US$50,000 to the junta-controlled Mandalay government on April 8.
The largest donations were given by Myanmar cronies at a ceremony that the junta held on April 1 and publicised on junta media. Myanmar crony companies and business associations donated over 104 billion kyat in cash (US$49.7 million according to the junta’s own reference exchange rate) and a further 12.4 billion kyat (US$5.9 million) in supplies directly to key junta figures including Min Aung Hlaing.
Donors identified by Justice For Myanmar include Zaw Lin Aung of KBZ Bank, Aung Zaw Naing of Shwe Taung Group, Ne Aung of IGE, Zaw Zaw of Max Group, Khin Maung Aye of CB Bank, Hla Myo of Aung Myin Thu Group, and Myint Zaw Thein of Super Seven Stars Group. Donor appears to have received certificates with the letterhead of the State Administration Council signed by Min Aung Hlaing, according to one certificate posted by the arms broker Htoo Group, which donated 1 billion kyat (US$476,000).
The junta-linked Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) also made donations of cash and supplies, earmarked for the junta’s National Disaster Management Committee, along with other trade bodies linked to the junta, including the Myanmar Petroleum Trade Association, Myanmar Edible Oil Dealers Association and Myanmar Rice Federation. The National Disaster Management Committee is led by the war criminal Soe Win, who heads the Myanmar Army.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy, Soe Win, are under investigation by the International Criminal Court and are the subject of arrest warrants issued by Argentina's federal criminal court for crimes against the Rohingya.
The junta is using private financial institutions as well as the state-owned Myanma Economic Bank to collect funds. In Japan, the junta is collecting direct donations through an account at MUFG Bank, a multinational Japanese bank that also operates in Myanmar.
In Myanmar, private financial institutions, including KBZ, CB, Aya and the Yoma Strategic Holdings-owned Wave Money, are also collecting public donations for the junta.
Despite the widespread destruction, the Myanmar military has continued brutal airstrikes, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe. A ceasefire it declared on April 2 was broken the very next day, as the junta resumed deadly attacks.
The National Unity Government’s Ministry of Human Rights has documented 92 airstrikes and artillery attacks that have killed 72 civilians between the March 28 earthquake and April 9. Many of the attacks were in Mandalay and Sagaing, regions affected by the earthquake.
Reports confirm that the military has weaponised humanitarian aid—blocking, confiscating, and exploiting relief efforts for its own benefit while targeting and surveilling aid and medical workers and maintaining severe media and communication restrictions.
This natural disaster has exacerbated an already dire crisis in Myanmar, where more than 3.5 million people have been forcibly displaced since the military's coup attempt in February 2024.
For over four years, Myanmar’s local frontline humanitarian and medical workers have risked their lives to provide essential support, including in areas outside military control. Over 260 civil society organisations including Justice For Myanmar have urged the international community to channel aid through community-led group and frontline responders in coordination with the National Unity Government (NUG), Ethnic Resistance Organisations (EROs), and civil society networks—bypassing the junta.
Despite this, companies continue to make donations to the junta. Donations to the junta and its cronies only exacerbate the damage done by the earthquake, as the junta uses this natural disaster to ramp up its campaign of international crimes.
Companies must do due diligence to ensure they are not contributing, or linked to international crimes. Donations to the junta risk complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes, whether through negligence or calculated attempts to curry favour with the junta for commercial advantage.
As of April 7, the death toll from the earthquake has reached over 3,550, with over 4,689 injured, according to the National Unity Government.
Justice For Myanmar calls on businesses to support humanitarian pathways that respect the will and humanity of the people of Myanmar, in line with humanitarian principles including “do no harm”.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: “Businesses have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure their contributions do not support a military junta committing egregious international crimes.
“Myanmar cronies have long funded the army in the name of “aid”, including in response to the Rohingya genocide, making themselves complicit in the junta’s atrocities. Now they are being joined by multinational corporations, channelling support and legitimacy to the murderous military. Companies are being watched and must be held accountable if they are found to have aided and abetted the junta’s crimes.
“The Myanmar people are suffering from multiple crises caused by the terrorist Myanmar junta and compounded by last month’s devastating earthquake, which is now being exploited by the junta for political and military gain.
“The people desperately need aid in response to the earthquake, the military’s ongoing attacks and the increasing impacts of an economic crisis caused by the military’s illegal coup attempt.
“The international community must act urgently to ensure aid reaches those who need it most—through trusted, accountable, independent local actors, not the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
