Calls for a no-fly zone over Myanmar are justified but will not result in a no-fly zone. The obstacles are too big to overcome. Efforts spent on calling for a no-fly zone will be wasted, writes Mark Farmaner, Burma Campaign UK’s Director, for Mizzima.
Options for stopping or reducing airstrikes are limited. One of the most effective would be a ban on the supply of aviation fuel, which even sympathetic Western countries have not implemented so far, despite calls from hundreds of Myanmar civil society organisations.
Sanctions on arms brokers providing arms and equipment for aircraft have started to be implemented but more are needed. Chinese, Russian, Indian and Pakistani companies providing aircraft and arms should also be sanctioned.