The Myanmar military has apparently purchased satellite technology from the German manufacturer ND Satcom from Baden-Württemberg until 2022. The public prosecutor’s office is now investigating.

Next to Bremen, the municipality of Immenstaad in Baden-Württemberg is probably the most important location for satellite technology in Germany. The defence division of Airbus manufactures the satellites for the European Galileo navigation system there. The spy satellite “SARah-1”, with which the German Federal Intelligence Service and the German Armed Forces now reconnoitre from space with high-resolution radar technology, also originates from the Lake Constance community.

Immenstaad is also home to suppliers who sell technology for forwarding and processing the satellite data. One of them is the company ND SatCom, which is now suspected of supplying the military in Myanmar. This was reported by the TV magazine ZDF frontal and the “Spiegel” in a joint investigation. This sale could violate sanctions imposed by the EU back in the 1990s.

After the expulsion of the Rohingya people, which became known in 2017, these sanctions were even tightened in 2019. At the time, the EU classified the military’s actions as “serious human rights violations”, the US government even as “genocide”. Since then, it has also been prohibited to supply “dual-use” items to Myanmar. This refers to products that can be used both for civilian purposes and by the military or police.

The activist group Justice for Myanmar has been researching the deliveries to Myanmar for years and has also provided materials to the journalists of ZDF frontal and “Spiegel”. These materials are said to contain references to more than 40 deliveries that were allegedly made to the Myanmar military between 2016 and 2022. These include 5G satellite modems worth 46,400 dollars as well as software. These are said to have subsequently entered the country via Vietnam. An invoice from another company in Singapore reportedly proves that the sale actually took place.

Until 2014, ND SatCom belonged to Airbus, but since 2016 it has been owned by entrepreneur Steffen Görig. An entry on its website states that the company has all the necessary core competencies for the development, turnkey delivery and logistical support of military satellite communication systems. Major contracts come from the German armed forces, among others, and ND SatCom also has offices in China and Dubai.

In 2017, at the same time that the Myanmar military was committing genocide against the Rohingya, ND SatCom had reported on its website under the heading “Defence” that it was supplying a communications system to Myanmar. Justice for Myanmar said it had documented this.

The group also described in a press release how the sale was made through the middleman in Vietnam. Leaked and publicly available evidence showed, according to the release, that the supply contract was brokered through a Myanmar company that provides military and civilian satellite services and is also said to be a partner of the army there. This company was appointed by ND SatCom in 2019 as the distributor for the sale of its satellite communications equipment, the activists write, calling for sanctions against the Vietnamese and Singaporean companies involved.

Since the coup of 2021, Myanmar has once again been ruled by the military, which already had the country under its control from 1962 to 2010. Even during the brief period of civilian rule, however, the army’s influence was considerable. “The military in Myanmar is responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, which are committed with complete impunity with the help of ND SatCom’s communication technology,” criticises Justice for Myanmar and demands consequences from the German justice system.

In Germany, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control is responsible for controlling and licensing the export of goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. The authority did not want to answer questions on whether ND SatCom was granted permission to do so, citing business secrecy.

ND SatCom would not answer questions from “nd” about the sales to Myanmar, referring to an ongoing examination at the Export Office. The company had initiated this examination itself “a few weeks ago”. The company denied to ZDF frontal and “Der Spiegel” that it had known about the deliveries to the military. According to their information, the final destination of the technology from Lake Constance was Vietnam. “The company ND SatCom vehemently distances itself from the actions of the Myanmar military against the civilian population,” it says to the research group.

Since the coup of 2021, Myanmar has once again been ruled by the military, which already had the country under its control from 1962 to 2010. Even during the brief period of civilian rule, however, the army’s influence was considerable. “The Myanmar military is responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed with total impunity, aided by ND SatCom communications technology”, criticises Justice for Myanmar and demands consequences from the German justice system.

In Germany, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control is responsible for controlling and licensing the export of goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. The authority did not want to answer questions on whether ND SatCom was granted permission to do so, citing business secrecy.

ND SatCom would not answer questions from “nd” about the sales to Myanmar, referring to an ongoing examination at the Export Office. The company had initiated this examination itself “a few weeks ago”. The company denied to ZDF frontal and “Der Spiegel” that it had known about the deliveries to the military. According to their information, the final destination of the technology from Lake Constance was Vietnam. “The company ND SatCom vehemently distances itself from the actions of the Myanmar military against the civilian population,” it says to the journalists.

The Tübingen-based lawyer Holger Rothbauer has filed a complaint against ND SatCom as well as four employees of the company, following preliminary work by Justice for Myanmar. The association German Solidarity with Myanmar Democracy, also based in Tübingen, is also involved. Now the Ravensburg public prosecutor’s office is investigating ND SatCom for supplying the Myanmar military.

A German public prosecutor’s office in Augsburg has also been investigating MAN since this summer. The German arms company apparently sold important components for a Myanmar warship and thus may also have violated the EU sanctions regime. A corresponding criminal complaint came from Greenpeace Germany. Other German companies had also supplied components for the ship, writes Justice for Myanmar. The Myanmar navy is alleged to have participated in atrocities against the Rohingya with the ship.

Published in German in „nd“.

Image: Parade with satellite technology of the military in Myanmar from 2021 (Mil.ru/ Wikipedia).