A/HRC/42/CRP.3
from which soldiers opened fire using automatic weapons. 370 Shooting from the helicopters
continued for up to two hours. At least one woman was shot and killed inside her house and
witnesses saw up to 15 other bodies of people killed by gunfire from the helicopters.371 The
Mission collected information reporting that on or around 14 December 2016, Nam Ha
village in Muse Township, Shan State, was attacked, both by mortar shelling and airstrikes
by four jet fighter planes. The village was composed of nearly a hundred households and had
a population of over 500 villagers, with the Mission receiving information that no members
of EAOs were present during the attacks and with no other military assets in the village. 372
The military units involved in the clearance operations that began on 25 August 2017 in
northern Rakhine State resulting in gross violations of international human rights law and
serious violations of international humanitarian law were armed with 60 tanks and armoured
personnel carriers.373 Victims who spoke to the Mission described attackers using a handheld or shoulder-mounted weapon. Some also described weapons fixed to the ground using
some sort of support. Victims were most likely describing a portable anti-armour weapon
such as an RPG-7 (rocket propelled grenade launcher) or the M-3 Carl Gustav recoilless rifle,
both of which are used by the Tatmadaw and match the description in terms of both use and
results.374 Eight MI-17 helicopters were also relocated to Rakhine State, and may have been
among the helicopters identified as those used in the clearance operations. 375 At least one
navy vessel fired upon a Rohingya village from the Bay of Bengal. 376 The Mission also
reported aerial bombings and artillery fire in Tanai, Kachin State, between November 2017
and April 2018 that appeared inconsistent with the rules of international humanitarian law. 377
154. The Mission has identified several companies supplying similar equipment and
support, including fighter planes, maintenance and upgrades to helicopters, surface-tosurface ballistic missile systems, armoured personnel carriers and artillery systems, small
arms and materiel, to the Tatmadaw. Of 14 companies identified as having supplied military
equipment to the Tatmadaw since 2016, 12 are foreign SOEs. The Mission identified SOEs
of China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Russia, and Ukraine involved in
major arms or arms-related deals with Myanmar. Israel also exported arms to Myanmar
before an order of its Supreme Court prohibited further sales. 378
155. Since 2016, the Myanmar Air Force has received 12 Yakovlev Yak-130 jet trainers
from the Russian Federation State-owned Irkutsk Corporation, a subsidiary of the United
Aircraft Corporation.379 In October 2017, four of the Myanmar Air Force’s Mil Mi-24P
helicopter gunships were serviced by the Russian Federation State-owned defence company
Rostec, and four Mil Mi-35 helicopters were upgraded with new technology.380 In January
2018, Myanmar and Russia agreed on the sale of six Sukhoi SU-30 multi-role fighter jets in
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
LI-123.
A/HRC/39/CRP.2, paragraph 1084; CI-139, LI-123, LI-125, LI-135, QI-101, XI-009.
A/HRC/39/CRP.2, paragraph 127.
A/HRC/39/CRP.2, paragraph 1248.
A/HRC/39/CRP.2, paragraph 961.
A/HRC/39/CRP.2, paragraphs 762, 770, 1084 and 1152.
A/HRC/39/CRP.2, paragraph 1156.
A/HRC/39/CRP.2, paragraphs 307-315.
Noa Landau, “Israel Denies Arming Myanmar. But Its Officials Are Still Visiting a Tel Aviv Arms
Expo,” 4 June 2019, Haaretz (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-denies-sellingweapons-to-myanmar-but-reps-are-still-at-tel-aviv-arms-expo-1.7332146). The Mission notes that in
July 2019, Israel has taken steps to ensure that Tatmadaw officials do not attend Israeli arms
expositions, see, Noa Landau, “Israel to Bar Myanmar Officials From Arms Expos,” 17 July 2019,
Haaretz (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-to-bar-myanmar-officials-from-armsexpos-1.7532506).
Andrew Selth, “Myanmar: pariah status no bar to defence modernisation,” The Lowy Institute
(https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/myanmar-pariah-status-no-bar-defence-modernisation);
See https://asian-defence-news.blogspot.com/2019/01/myanmar-has-received-six-more-yak-130.html,
which it cited in https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/russia-building-six-advanced-fighter-jetsmyanmar-military.html.
“Russian Helicopters repairs Mi-24P helicopter for Myanmar Air Force,” TASS, 13 October 2017
(https://tass.com/defense/970640); “Myanmar Air Force Received the First Modernized Mi-35P
Helicopter”, Defense Studies, 7 October 2017.
55
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