A UN report says Myanmar managed to spend more money on aviation fuel last year despite sanctions, which is enabling the junta to conduct indiscriminate airstrikes against civilian targets.
UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, released the report on Wednesday detailing how the military finances itself and obtains weapons.
It says Myanmar purchased at least 80 million dollars of aviation fuel in 2023 through the international banking system, which is a near 30 percent increase year-on-year.
The report says airstrikes by the junta against civilian targets have increased five-fold over the past six months. That comes as the military loses its outposts, territory and troops to resistance forces.
A village resident in neighboring Bangladesh said he has heard what sounds like airstrikes in the past few days.
He added they were panicked and the residents near the border could not sleep.
The document calls on the international community to impose more sanctions. But it also notes the military now buys fuel through multiple intermediaries, including trading companies and fuel storage terminals, making it difficult to trace shipments.
Meanwhile, the report also points to a drop in the volume of weapons and military supplies the junta obtained.
Its purchases totaled 253 million dollars in fiscal 2023, which is one-third less than the previous year.
The rapporteur cited the drastic decrease of exports from Singapore as one reason. The city-state government launched an investigation into weapons transfers from Singapore-based entities last year.