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Indian public sector undertakings (PSUs) have equipped the illegal Myanmar military junta, including with military goods and infrastructure for the junta’s air force and navy as the junta widens its war of terror against the people.
The continued supply once again confirms India’s ongoing complicity in the junta’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. The junta relies on its air force in particular to wage indiscriminate airstrikes across Myanmar, murdering civilians including children and destroying homes, livelihoods, schools and hospitals.
In a new investigation, Justice For Myanmar has identified 10 PSUs, mostly operating under India’s defence ministry, which have supplied military equipment, technology and fuel to the Myanmar military since its coup attempt, or have disclosed attempts to secure business with the illegitimate junta.
In addition, the Indian air force shipped 52 items to the junta’s air force in January 2024 that appear to be for one or several automatic weather stations (AWS). It follows a deployment of 15 Indian Air Force personnel to Myanmar in December 2023 to install meteorological instruments.
Among other uses, data obtained through AWS can be decisive for the timing of airstrikes, the aircraft used and the choice of weapons.
One of the PSUs is Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), which signed a contract with the junta for the commissioning of a propulsion plant for 81m offshore patrol vessels for the Myanmar Navy.
The contract was signed with the Myanmar Naval Dockyard in October 2021, during which India sat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council negotiating texts concerning increasing violence in Myanmar following the February 2021 military coup attempt.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), an Indian defence PSU, lists Myanmar as an active client that has exported MiG spares to the Myanmar military. Justice For Myanmar could not confirm the last date of export.
The Myanmar Air Force uses MiG-29 fighter jets in its indiscriminate airstrikes.
In January 2024, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), another PSU under India’s defence ministry, shipped several military-end use items to the Myanmar military’s Directorate of Procurement, including a pan and tilt camera and a low noise front end for marine radar receivers, showing its continued support for the terrorist junta.
BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BrahMos Aerospace), a joint venture of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s Joint Stock Company “Military Industrial Consortium” “NPO Mashinostroyenia”, has announced discussions with the junta for the export of missiles pending financing.
In comments to Russian state media in August 2022, BrahMos Aerospace CEO Atun Rane said that BrahMos would need to arrange financing from an Indian credit line for the sale to the junta to proceed.
Beyond the exports of military equipment, the Indian government is also actively providing platforms for members of the Myanmar military junta to attend Indian defence events and receive military training, lending further support and legitimacy to an illegitimate and illegal entity and war criminals that have been conducting a nationwide campaign of terror for over three years.
By encouraging exports of arms and related materials to the Myanmar military, India is directly supporting the junta’s brutal attacks against the people, and therefore aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Justice For Myanmar calls on India to immediately impose an arms embargo on the Myanmar military junta and cease all training and other military support.
We also call on Indian defence sector companies – private and public – to immediately stop doing business with the Myanmar military – directly or through front companies in Myanmar – and halt any agreed consignments of additional arms and related material to the junta.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: “The Indian government and its PSUs must stop equipping the Myanmar military with weapons and related materials, which enable its nationwide war of terror.
“By providing equipment to the Myanmar military, India is directly supporting the junta’s ongoing attacks against civilians and is therefore complicit in its international crimes.
“Indian PSUs have continued to supply arms, equipment and fuel after the military committed genocide against the Rohingya and launched an illegal coup attempt. This is a serious dereliction of India’s international responsibilities.
“Governments and companies that are engaged with the Indian government, its PSUs and arms industry should use their leverage to ensure India ends its complicity in the Myanmar junta’s atrocities.
“Investors in PSUs that are providing arms, equipment, technology and fuel to the terrorist junta need to urgently convince their investees to act responsibly and to divest from those companies if they do not.”
More information:
Read our latest investigation into India’s state-owned companies supplying equipment to the Myanmar military here.