Justice For Myanmar has condemned the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and its member states for allowing Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to attend the bloc’s 2025 Summit in Bangkok.
The group stated that this decision deepens the complicity of BIMSTEC in international crimes committed by the Myanmar military regime.
Min Aung Hlaing travelled to Bangkok on 4 April 2025 to attend the Summit, one week after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake devastated parts of Myanmar, leaving bodies still trapped under rubble.
Justice For Myanmar accused the junta of obstructing humanitarian relief efforts and continuing airstrikes in quake-affected areas, thereby compounding civilian suffering.
The group holds Min Aung Hlaing responsible for international crimes, including the genocide of the Rohingya, war crimes and crimes against humanity across the country.
The International Criminal Court has an open investigation into Min Aung Hlaing, with its prosecutor seeking an arrest warrant. A separate arrest warrant has been issued by a court in Argentina.
Despite this, BIMSTEC continues to provide the junta with a regional platform, thereby granting it undue legitimacy, according to Justice For Myanmar.
The 2025 Summit is being held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok, which is owned by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, the same company that operates property in Yangon on land leased from the Myanmar military.
Justice For Myanmar stated that BIMSTEC has consistently legitimised the junta since the military coup attempt in 2021.
In 2022, the bloc allowed the junta to sign the BIMSTEC Charter and later welcomed its foreign minister to a Summit in Sri Lanka. In 2024, the Myanmar junta hosted a BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs meeting.
That meeting promoted regional cooperation in counter-terrorism, even as the junta continued to target the National Unity Government and resistance forces by misusing terrorism laws.
Justice For Myanmar warned that such cooperation likely results in shared intelligence and military coordination, strengthening the junta’s operations under a guise of legitimacy.
The group further highlighted the role of Thailand in materially supporting the regime, particularly through its energy sector and arms transfers.
According to a UN Special Rapporteur’s report, companies registered in Thailand exported US$120 million worth of arms and related equipment to Myanmar in the 2023 financial year.
Thailand’s state-linked oil company PTTEP remains a major operator in Myanmar’s offshore gas sector, selling gas to its parent company PTT. These revenues fund junta operations.
PTTEP continues to drill new wells and invest in the Yadana, Zawtika and M3 gas fields, further entrenching Thailand’s economic ties with the junta.
India was also named as a significant arms supplier. Justice For Myanmar cited January 2025 shipments by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) of maritime surveillance systems to the Myanmar military.
BEL also sent various electronics and mechanical systems in 2024 to arms brokers associated with the junta.
The group said that Myanmar military personnel have received training in India as recently as 2024, including at the Indian Army Educational Corps Training College and the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering.
Justice For Myanmar has called on India to immediately halt military cooperation and impose a full arms embargo on the junta.
Sri Lanka’s role was also criticised. According to shipment data reviewed by the group, Hayleys Free Zone Ltd exported aviation parts and kerosene to Myanmar-linked brokers in 2024.
Earlier shipments in 2023 included avionics equipment believed to be for use by the Myanmar Air Force. The group urged Sri Lanka to impose an arms embargo without delay.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung said the Summit’s inclusion of Min Aung Hlaing “legitimises and emboldens” a regime that the people of Myanmar have been resisting for more than four years.
She added, “It is deplorable that BIMSTEC and the Thai government are welcoming a war criminal responsible for committing atrocities, including genocide against the Rohingya.”
Justice For Myanmar demanded that all BIMSTEC member states cease political, military and financial support for the junta, and instead prioritise the protection of Myanmar’s civilian population.
The group reaffirmed its call for international accountability, including targeted sanctions, asset freezes, and criminal prosecution of those complicit in the junta’s crimes.
The post BIMSTEC’s welcome of Min Aung Hlaing at Bangkok Summit condemned as complicity in Myanmar junta’s crimes appeared first on The Online Citizen.
