Weapons and legitimacy for brutal regime: Malaysian govt-linked firms aiding Myanmar junta, group reveals

Malaysian companies, including those linked to the government, have supplied or sought to supply aircraft parts and maintenance services to the Myanmar military, even as the junta continues its brutal campaign that has recently seen aerial attacks on civilians, an activist group that focuses on exposing the junta's cartel reveals.

Justice For Myanmar, citing leaked documents and trade records, identified three Malaysian companies as having conducted or sought business with the Myanmar military and intermediaries between 2023 and 2026.

“By knowingly providing support to the Myanmar military as it commits war crimes and crimes against humanity, Malaysian businesses could be aiding and abetting those crimes,” it said.

“Malaysia also continues to facilitate the Myanmar military’s participation in Asean defence and security programmes, deepening the bloc’s complicity in the junta’s international crimes.”

The group said one Malaysian company had sought to supply spare parts and critical components for combat aircraft, drones and helicopters operated by the Myanmar military, including Russian-origin aircraft and weapons systems.

The company reportedly issued multiple requests for quotations to international suppliers for components for the Myanmar military's K-8W light attack jets, Orlan-10E unmanned aerial vehicles, Kamov Ka-28 helicopters and Mi-17 and Mi-2 helicopters.

According to Justice For Myanmar, the same company secured financing from Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB), the entity under the Prime Minister's Department and wholly owned by Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputra chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, it said military engineers from Myanmar visited a government-owned Malaysian aircraft maintenance firm in February to discuss repairs to an Airbus A319 owned by the Myanmar military.

A third company is named for making shipments of aircraft parts to Myanmar arms brokers who supply the Myanmar Air Force.

The allegations come as Anwar prepares to welcome junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, despite him facing genocide charges at the International Criminal Court.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the rare official visit as “an invitation for further abuse” in Myanmar, while lawyers slammed the government for ignoring the dangers facing persecuted peoples in Myanmar following the friendly gestures.

“It is deeply incoherent for Malaysia to now roll out the red carpet for the alleged perpetrator at the centre of these proceedings. It undermines the international efforts to secure justice for these heinous crimes,” said rights lawyer Eric Paulsen.

Another lawyer, P Waytha Moorthy, said he intends to seek Min Aung Hlaing's arrest if he enters Malaysia, citing the Geneva Conventions to which Myanmar is a party.

“The fact that Your Excellency is a Myanmar national or the alleged crimes occurred in Myanmar does not, by itself, exclude Malaysian jurisdiction. Nor does the nationality of the victims, by itself, exclude the jurisdiction which Parliament has expressly conferred,” Waytha Moorthy said in a notice issued by his law firm.

Min Aung Hlaing faces sanctions from Australia, Canada, the European Union, Britain and the United States, and has been accused of responsibility for serious international crimes committed by Myanmar's military, including atrocities against the Rohingya.

Meanwhile, Justice For Myanmar claimed Malaysia was facilitating the junta's participation in Asean defence and security programmes.

It said Malaysia has invited a Myanmar junta delegation led by the chief of its notorious Special Branch, Hlaing Min, to attend the 49th ASEAN Intelligence Community Conference in Kuala Lumpur next month.

“Malaysia is to cover travel expenses, including air tickets, accommodation, meals and local transport for the junta delegation,” it added.