Burma Campaign UK has welcomed new British government advice on business risk in Burma which warns British companies not to be involved in the supply of aviation fuel to the Burmese military, the NGO said in a press release.

New business risk guidance issued by the Department for International Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office published on 9 February, states:

“The Myanmar military regularly uses air strikes against civilian targets. If dealing with any entity linked to Myanmar’s aviation sector, businesses should conduct thorough supply chain diligence to ensure that commodities such as jet-fuel do not reach the military.”

“It is very good to see the British government warning British companies not to be involved in the supply of aviation fuel to the Burmese military,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “This is a recognition of the role of the supply of aviation fuel in the commission of human rights violations by the military. We hope that it will be followed by legal sanctions as soon as possible.”

Burma Campaign UK and many civil society organisations from Myanmar are calling for sanctions on the supply of aviation fuel, following a massive increase in the use of air strikes by the Myanmar military in the past year. The Myanmar military are indiscriminately bombing civilians, killing and injuring dozens of people. The majority of more than 400,000 people forced to flee their homes since the attempted coup last year have been displaced by airstrikes or the threat of air strikes. This has created a humanitarian crisis.