Burma Campaign UK today welcomed new British government advice on business risk in Burma which warns British companies not to be involved in the supply of aviation fuel to the Burmese military.
New business risk guidance issued by the Department for International Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office published yesterday, 9th February, states:
“The Myanmar military regularly uses air strikes against civilian targets. If dealing with any entity linked to Myanmar’s aviation sector, businesses should conduct thorough supply chain diligence to ensure that commodities such as jet-fuel do not reach the military.”
The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma
“It is very good to see the British government warning British companies not to be involved in the supply of aviation fuel to the Burmese military,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “This is a recognition of the role of the supply of aviation fuel in the commission of human rights violations by the military. We hope that it will be followed by legal sanctions as soon as possible.”
Burma Campaign UK and many civil society organisations from Burma are calling for sanctions on the supply of aviation fuel, following a massive increase in the use of air strikes by the Burmese military in the past year. The Burmese military are indiscriminately bombing civilians, killing and injuring dozens of people. The majority of more than 400,000 people forced to flee their homes since the attempted coup last year have been displaced by airstrikes or the threat of air strikes. This has created a humanitarian crisis.