The NGO Amnesty International (AI) warned Thursday that fuel supplies sent to Burma by third countries are linked to war crimes perpetrated by the country’s military junta against civilians since the coup d’état took place on February 1, 2021.
It has called on states and companies around the world to suspend exports of aviation fuel following an investigation linking the export of crude oil, which is shipped in vessels, distributed and stored until it is transported to military bases where it is used by the military to carry out bombings that have left civilian casualties.
«These airstrikes have devastated families, terrorized civilians, and killed and maimed victims. But, without fuel, planes cannot fly and wreak havoc. Today we call on suppliers, shipping agents, ship owners and marine insurers to withdraw from a supply chain that benefits the Burma Air Force,» said AI Secretary General Agnès Callamard.
In this sense, she stated that «there is no justification for participating in the supply of fuel to the aviation of an army that shows a flagrant disregard for human rights and has been repeatedly accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity».
The investigation, conducted with the support of other civil society organizations, also includes testimonies of airstrike survivors who shared their experiences to shed light on the lives that have been claimed by these attacks. NGOs estimate that the victims of Army airstrikes are among the more than 2,400 civilians who have been killed by Burmese forces since the coup.
COMPANIES INVOLVED The organization stressed that companies have a responsibility to respect human rights regardless of where they operate.
Since 2015, the main foreign company involved in the management, storage and distribution of fuel for Burmese aviation has been Singapore’s Puma Energy, largely owned by the commercial giant Trafigura. Puma Energy has been active in Burma through its subsidiary Puma Energy Asia Sun (PEAS) and the joint venture National Energy Puma Aviation Services (NEPAS).
Although Puma Energy has claimed since February 2021 and until October 5, 2022 the company limited its operations, Amnesty’s report shows otherwise. In its findings, the document notes that the fuel enters the Asian country mainly through a terminal in the port of Thilawa managed precisely by PEAS.
Other companies also play important roles in the aviation fuel supply chain in Burma and are therefore linked to human rights violations.
Between February 2021 and September 2022, at least seven tankers unloaded eight shipments of fuel at the port terminal managed by Puma Energy’s subsidiary PEAS in Thilawa, Rangoon.
AI has confirmed that the shipments were made by Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC), wholly owned by PetroChina (SPC), Rosneft of Russia, Chevron Singapore and Thai Oil. In addition, ExxonMobil is linked to a shipment made in June 2022.
«Aviation fuel supplied, imported, stored and distributed by a number of companies has been instrumental in enabling the Burma Army to carry out these kinds of heinous airstrikes. It is time to break the fuel supply chain once and for all,» said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty’s Business and Human Rights researcher.
