Justice For Myanmar (JFM) announced yesterday that investigations have begun into the complaint filed with NCP Denmark against Nordic Aviation Capital, which sold ATR aircraft to Myanmar companies. The Myanmar human rights organization filed a complaint earlier this year with Denmark’s National Contact Point (NCP) against Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) for exporting French-made Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) aircraft to Myanmar, where armed conflicts are ongoing.
The complaint includes concerns about severe impacts and human rights violations resulting from NAC’s sale, lease, and financing of ATR aircraft to Myanmar companies. JFM criticizes NAC for failing to comply with its obligations under OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises regarding risk due diligence in matters of selling, leasing, and financing ATR aircraft to buyers in Myanmar, including Air KBZ (now Air Mingalar), through their subsidiaries. The military junta is using these ATR aircraft through Myanmar companies, particularly for military transport, intelligence, and special private flights.
Based on solid evidence, JFM states that the military junta uses these ATR aircraft for transporting troops and military equipment in their violent operations against civilians, as well as for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance missions. JFM alleges that the sale, lease, and financing of ATR aircraft (which eventually reached the military junta) have had severe adverse impacts on human rights in the context of intense armed conflict. The military junta is currently operating approximately 10 French-made ATR aircraft, and JFM reported last year that not only foreign companies like NAC but also Myanmar crony companies such as the 24 Hour Group-owned Air KBZ (now Mingalar Aviation), arms broker company International Gateways Group, military-linked crony business group KT Group, and crony Tay Za’s Htoo Group have assisted in making these ATR aircraft available for the terrorist military junta’s use.
