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Singapore oil firm under fire for supplying Myanmar’s military

Singapore-based petroleum company Interra Resources is facing accusations of complicity in war crimes as an activist group urges it to halt its operations in Myanmar.

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File Source: The Diolomat

Singapore-based petroleum company Interra Resources is facing accusations of complicity in war crimes as an activist group urges it to halt its operations in Myanmar.

Justice for Myanmar claims Interra’s majority stake in energy company Goldpetrol makes it directly involved in funding the country’s military government, which has been waging a brutal civil war since overthrowing a democratically elected government in 2021.  

In a report released Wednesday, Justice for Myanmar revealed that Interra holds a 60% stake in the Goldpetrol Joint Operating Company, one of the few firms still extracting oil in Myanmar. The group alleges that all of Goldpetrol’s crude oil—more than 2.3 million barrels between 2021 and 2023—was sold to the state-run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), directly benefiting the junta. The report further claims that the crude oil is processed at the Mann refinery in Myanmar’s Magwe region, supplying military bases with jet fuel and other refined products.  

“Interra Resources must take action now so that it is consistent with its international human rights responsibilities. This necessarily involves stopping the supply of crude oil to the junta,” said Justice for Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung. “It needs to decide the most responsible way to do this, and it may involve suspending operations or divestment.”  

Interra did not respond to requests for comment. However, Justice for Myanmar stated that the company told them ahead of the report’s release that Goldpetrol is contractually obligated to sell all its crude oil to MOGE. The activist group argues that Interra is profiting from this arrangement, pointing out that the company reported $24.5 million in crude oil sales to MOGE in 2022 and $19.1 million in 2023—far exceeding its average annual profits of $12.9 million in previous years.  

Myanmar’s military, which has been accused by the United Nations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, continues to escalate its attacks on civilian areas. Conflict data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies indicates that while armed clashes have declined since late 2023, air and drone strikes have surged, with a record 345 strikes reported in October. A military airstrike in January on a village in Rakhine state reportedly killed around 40 people, including women and children.  

“Interra Resources is complicit in the junta’s international crimes through the supply of crude oil. This oil fuels Myanmar military operations that indiscriminately target civilians and amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Maung said.  

The U.S. and other Western nations have imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s military-linked businesses, including banks and firms handling jet fuel sales. Amnesty International has also urged companies to cut ties with Myanmar’s aviation fuel supply chain, warning that airstrikes are becoming more frequent and devastating.  

Public pressure has led some foreign firms to withdraw from Myanmar, but Justice for Myanmar warns that local or regional companies with closer ties to the junta often replace them. “We have seen this happen in a number of business sectors in Myanmar,” said Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman.  

Justice for Myanmar is also calling on Singapore’s stock exchange to investigate Interra for potential regulatory breaches, noting that trading in another listed company was halted in 2021 due to its operations in Myanmar, which the exchange designated a “sanctioned nation.” The stock exchange has not yet responded to requests for comment.  

Goldpetrol’s other shareholder, North Petroleum International, holds the remaining 40% stake. The company is a subsidiary of China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO), a Chinese state-owned weapons manufacturer and a major supplier of arms to Myanmar’s military. NORINCO did not respond to requests for comment.

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