NAYPYITAW, 07 October 2021, (TON): According to activist group Justice For Myanmar (JFM) “an arms manufacturer majority-owned by India’s government continues to supply Myanmar’s coup regime with weapons through a broker with businesses in Myanmar and Singapore.”

In a report released on Tuesday, JFM said Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) sent a remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS) to the Myanmar junta in July via Mega Hill General Trading, a private military contractor based in Myanmar.

The report said “the shipment, valued at more than US$600,000, included five items: an operational system, a gun mount system, an optical system, a system controller and a drive system.”

JFM said “BEL launched its RCWS for 12.7mm machine guns on India’s Arjun Mk II battle tank in 2017. The station system can also be mounted on high-speed boats.”

The activist group said the BEL shipment points to the urgent need for a global arms embargo to cut off the junta’s access to foreign-made weapons that can be used against civilians opposed to military rule.

JFM said “the international community must impose targeted sanctions against Mega Hill General Trading, its network, and all other Myanmar military arms brokers.”