Indonesia voted at the UN not to sell arms to Myanmar. So why are its state-owned firms suspected of selling to the junta?

Groups filed a complaint with Indonesia’s national human rights commission on Monday alleging that three state-owned arms makers had been selling equipment to Myanmar since the coup, according to Feri Amsari, a legal adviser to the activists.

The group that drew up the complaint includes two Myanmar organisations, the Chin Human Rights Organisation and Myanmar Accountability Project, and Marzuki Darusman, a former Indonesian attorney general and rights advocate.

They allege in their complaint that Indonesian state arms manufacturer PT Pindad, state ship maker PT PAL and aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia had supplied equipment to Myanmar via a Myanmar company called True North, which they said was owned by the son of a minister in the military government.

PT Pindad and PT PAL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. PT Pindad’s director told media earlier that it had not sold products to Myanmar since 2016.

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PT Dirgantara Indonesia said it had never had a contract with Myanmar or related third party.

True North did not immediately respond to request for comment but an undated company profile seen by Reuters showed that it identified the three Indonesian arms manufacturers as “strategic partners”.

The activists said Myanmar had bought various items from the companies, including pistols, assault rifles and combat vehicles.

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A spokesperson for Indonesia’s foreign ministry said it was studying the complaint. A defence ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Darusman said the rights commission, known as Komnas HAM, was obliged to investigate given that state-owned firms are subject to government control and oversight.