Myanmar ceasefire and arms dealer in Singapore
A spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed reports that ethnic militias and the Myanmar army agreed to a truce in the north of the country. Singapore fined an arms dealer trying to take more than US$ 20,000 out of the country earned from brokering sales to Myanmar’s military. Singapore remains cautious about taking more action.
Singapore (AsiaNews) – A Myanmar arms dealer acting on behalf of the ruling military junta was fined for failing to declare that he was leaving Singapore with half a million dollars. Meanwhile, the three ethnic militias that launched an offensive against Myanmar’s regular army in the northern Shan State at the end of October have agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning and Myanmar authorities announced.
Kyaw Min Oo, 41, was arrested on 15 June 2023 along with two other Myanmar nationals, Wai Sar Tun and Win Myint, after Singapore police were alerted that they were trying to take ,000 out of the country. All three were convicted on 26 December 2023.
The Irrawaddy, a news website run by Myanmar exiles living in Thailand, first reported on Monday that Kyaw was an arms dealer working for the military regime. According to a report by UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews, Wai was singled out as Kwai’s business partner in Myanmar.
Further reports note that Win headed five different companies that trade in spare parts for helicopters and aircraft, namely Asia Aviation Trading, Sky Avia Trading, Heli Asia Trading, Heli White Trading and Sky Union Trading, all registered between 2014 and 2017.
The United States, Canada, and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Kyaw Min Oo because he “profits from the violence and suffering the military has inflicted on the people of Myanmar since the military coup,” said Brian E. Nelson, US Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Singapore fined Kyaw ,000, while the other two men were fined ,000 each.
In July 2023, Singapore's Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said that his government did not impose a general ban on trade with Myanmar so as not to exacerbate the suffering of the local population.
In Singapore, opposition parties called on the government to clarify its position after the publication of the UN report, which, among other things, pointed the finger at various Singapore-based entities for contributing to the flow of military supplies worth US$ 254 million to Myanmar’s generals.
The report also claims that Singapore banks have been “used extensively by arms dealers”, and that “substantial reserves” of Myanmar are suspected to be held in DBS Bank, UOB and OCBC Bank.
The city-state has taken several steps in recent months to block some of the activities reported, and Singapore's financial institutions have also imposed increased due diligence for Myanmar-related customers and transactions that present higher risks.
China has instead intervened in Myanmar's civil war. In the past two days, the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic militias and Myanmar’s military held talks in Kunming, in China’s Yunnan province, on the borders with Myanmar, leading to a ceasefire.
Ta'ang National Liberation Army has "agreed to reopen border trade" with China, said the group’s spokesperson, Tar Bhone Kyaw. In fact, trade remains China’s main interest.
Beijing so far has avoided direct involvement in the war, but it has supplied military equipment in the past few years to both Myanmar’s army and some militias that control the border.
Last week, ethnic militias part of the alliance recaptured some cities that had become hubs for cyber scam operations, setting off alarm bells in China, which does not want unrest along its borders.
Beijing had expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with Chinese nationals killed in the fighting and said it would take "all necessary measures" to protect its citizens.
As a result of Chinese mediation, “The two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire, to disengage military personnel and resolve relevant disputes and demands through peaceful negotiations," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, speaking about the ceasefire.
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01/08/2023 14:11
12/02/2024 17:16
