Justice For Myanmar criticized BIMSTEC for inviting Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing to its summit, citing his alleged war crimes and the junta’s obstruction of post-earthquake aid. The organization accused Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka of arming the junta, thereby fueling its “terror campaign.”
BY PC Bureau
April 3, 2025 – Justice For Myanmar, a prominent human rights organization, issued a strong condemnation of the Thai government and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) for their decision to permit Myanmar junta head Min Aung Hlaing to attend the BIMSTEC Summit recently concluded in Bangkok. The rights group argued that this action by the regional bloc further entrenched its complicity in the international crimes allegedly being perpetrated by the junta.
The summit, hosted at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok, took place a mere week after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in the country. The BIMSTEC Summit, marking its first in-person gathering in seven years, saw the participation of key regional leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tsering Tobgay, Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, and controversially, Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Justice For Myanmar specifically drew attention to the junta’s reprehensible obstruction of crucial humanitarian aid and essential rescue efforts in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake. This obstruction occurred alongside the junta’s continued military airstrikes within Myanmar, even in areas severely impacted by the seismic disaster, demonstrating a callous disregard for civilian lives and suffering.
Thai Student protest Myanmar junta leader at Bangkok Summit: “Thailand doesn’t welcome murderers”
Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military junta, is currently in Bangkok for the 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit. pic.twitter.com/fqP6bgXrtB
— Myanmar Now (@Myanmar_Now_Eng) April 4, 2025
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Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in Myanmar through a military coup in 2021, stands accused of orchestrating a litany of international crimes, including the widely condemned genocide against the Rohingya minority population and the ongoing perpetration of war crimes and crimes against humanity across various regions of Myanmar. His actions have led to an active investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), with the Prosecutor’s Office actively seeking an arrest warrant for his apprehension. Furthermore, a court in Argentina had also issued an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing in connection with these alleged atrocities.
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Justice For Myanmar emphasized that Min Aung Hlaing and the military junta he leads were already subject to a range of international sanctions imposed by multiple countries in response to their actions. Despite these punitive measures, the junta continued to maintain illegal control over the significant financial resources of Myanmar’s major state-owned enterprises. These funds, the rights group alleged, were being utilized to finance their ongoing “terror campaign” against the civilian population of Myanmar, further fueling the cycle of violence and human rights abuses.
The human rights organization sharply criticized BIMSTEC for what it described as a consistent pattern of complicity with the Myanmar junta since the 2021 coup. Justice For Myanmar highlighted several instances of this alleged complicity, noting that the bloc had previously permitted Min Aung Hlaing to personally sign the BIMSTEC Charter in 2022, allowed his foreign minister to represent Myanmar at the subsequent summit held in Sri Lanka in the same year, and even provided the junta with the platform to host a meeting of regional security chiefs in Myanmar in 2024.
‘Murderer Not Welcome’: Protests Greet Myanmar Junta Chief in Bangkok
Min Aung Hlaing was welcomed at the BIMSTEC Summit with warm handshakes and a sit-down dinner alongside regional leaders but also boos and outrage from the crowd.#MinAungHlaing pic.twitter.com/IarNBfnh1Y
— Htar Thakhin (@htartha76128693) April 4, 2025
This particular meeting of security chiefs, ostensibly aimed at bolstering regional cooperation in the critical area of counter-terrorism, took place even as the Myanmar junta had officially designated the democratically elected National Unity Government (NUG) as a terrorist organization and had further amended its counter-terrorism laws to specifically target the burgeoning democratic resistance movement within the country. Moreover, BIMSTEC had facilitated the junta’s participation in the signing of the BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters in 2022, a move that Justice For Myanmar argued could potentially provide the illegitimate regime with avenues for legal cooperation.
Justice For Myanmar issued a stark warning, suggesting that these actions by BIMSTEC member states had likely provided the Myanmar junta with access to valuable intelligence sharing, potential military and police cooperation, and perhaps most significantly, a false and undeserved sense of political legitimacy on the international stage, thereby emboldening their actions and undermining efforts to hold them accountable.
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The rights group specifically identified Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka, all prominent member states within the BIMSTEC framework, as remaining deeply complicit in the junta’s alleged international crimes through their continued provision of arms, military equipment, and crucial financial support to the illegitimate regime.
Justice For Myanmar singled out Thailand as a major and consistent supplier of arms to the Myanmar junta. Citing a report by a UN Special Rapporteur, the group highlighted that Thai-registered companies had reportedly transferred a staggering US$120 million worth of weapons and related military materials to Myanmar during the 2023 financial year, directly fueling the junta’s military capabilities. The organization also pointed to the ongoing operations of the Thai state-owned oil and gas giant PTTEP, which operates significant offshore gas projects within Myanmar’s territorial waters and sells the extracted gas to its parent company, PTT. Justice For Myanmar alleged that the substantial revenues generated by these operations directly fund the junta’s ongoing atrocities against the people of Myanmar.
India was also identified by Justice For Myanmar as a key and consistent supplier of both arms and essential military equipment to the Myanmar military. The rights group cited recent and reliable shipment data indicating that Indian state-owned arms manufacturing companies continued to actively supply the junta with military hardware. As recently as January 2025, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a prominent Indian defense public sector undertaking, reportedly shipped advanced electro-optical surveillance systems to the Myanmar army, enhancing their ability to monitor and target civilian populations. Furthermore, Justice For Myanmar detailed multiple shipments originating from BEL throughout 2024, including a variety of sophisticated electronic and electromechanical systems, often facilitated through intermediary arms broker companies. In addition to the provision of military hardware, the organization also reported that India was actively providing training to personnel from the Myanmar military, further strengthening their operational capabilities.
Sri Lanka also came under scrutiny from Justice For Myanmar, with the organization accusing the island nation of supplying arms and military-related equipment to the Myanmar military. Shipment data reportedly confirmed that Sri Lanka, through the entity Haleys Free Zone Ltd, had exported critical aircraft parts and kerosene, a vital fuel for military aircraft, to an arms broker in 2024. Justice For Myanmar stated that there was strong reason to believe that these exported items were ultimately intended for use by the Myanmar Air Force, contributing to their capacity to conduct airstrikes against civilian areas.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung issued a powerful statement, declaring, “We strongly condemned the deplorable decision to allow Min Aung Hlaing, a war criminal responsible for committing atrocities including genocide against the Rohingya, to participate in the BIMSTEC Summit.”
Maung asserted that BIMSTEC, through its repeated engagement with the junta, had provided the illegitimate regime with crucial political and military support since the attempted coup in 2021, effectively “aiding and abetting its international crimes.” She issued a direct and urgent call to action, urging the governments of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and all other concerned nations to immediately cease all forms of funding, arms transfers, and equipment provisions to the Myanmar junta. “It is imperative that governments and international organisations end their complicity with this brutal military junta and unequivocally prioritize the lives and well-being of the people of Myanmar,” Maung forcefully concluded.
