JFM calls for Myanmar military to be barred from ARF drone workshop

By Admin 17 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

17 September 2026, Ponnagyun

Justice For Myanmar (JFM) has called on the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to bar the Myanmar military from a planned workshop on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, warning that its participation could provide access to knowledge that might enhance its drone capabilities.

The ARF has consulted the Myanmar military and is set to invite it to the workshop, according to a JFM report released on September 17 and based on sources familiar with the plans.

The workshop is to be co-chaired by Australia, Singapore and the United States and is planned for 2026 or 2027 under the ARF’s counter-terrorism cooperation framework. A date has yet to be announced.

Proposed by the United States, the workshop is expected to bring together practitioners involved in policymaking, law enforcement, civil aviation and border security, as well as international experts.

Discussions are expected to cover the acquisition and use of consumer and industrial-grade drones for “terrorist” and other illicit purposes, as well as ways to counter the cross-border movement of readily available UAS technologies.

JFM warned that allowing Myanmar military representatives to participate could create a risk of technical knowledge being transferred to the military and subsequently strengthening its drone capabilities.

The warning comes amid an increasing use of airstrikes and drones in Myanmar.

Citing UN data, JFM said airstrikes killed at least 982 civilians in Myanmar in 2025, including 232 children, representing a 52 percent increase compared with 2024.

JFM also cited a July 2025 report by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), which documented more than 570 military drone strikes and attributed at least 158 civilian deaths to them. The longer JFM report says the attacks were recorded in at least 340 locations.

Drone and airstrike threats persist in Arakan

JFM’s call comes as military tensions remain high in Arakan State, where airstrikes and drone attacks have continued to pose risks to civilians.

Fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) has intensified along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border since September 4. DMG reported on September 15 that the fighting had continued for more than 10 days.

On September 11, a drone attack on a monastery in Kyauk Seik village, Ponnagyun Township, killed a 63-year-old displaced woman from Thawin Chaung village, according to local residents cited by DMG.

According to records compiled by DMG, airstrikes in Arakan killed 602 civilians and injured 1,211 between April 2024 and September 12, 2026. The figures are based on incidents that DMG was able to document and are not exhaustive.

The latest JFM report comes as separate data from ISP-Myanmar shows that Arakan recorded at least 222 airstrikes between March 31 and August 31, the fourth-highest documented total after Magway Region, Chin State and Sagaing Region.

JFM called on the ARF to exclude the Myanmar military from its meetings and activities, including the proposed drone workshop, and to ensure that technical or security-related knowledge is not shared with it.

“It is deplorable that the illegal and illegitimate military junta is to be included in a workshop on drones while it is using that very technology for the commission of international crimes against civilians in Myanmar,” JFM spokesperson Yadanar Maung said.

JFM also argued that Singapore has a heightened responsibility over the issue. Singapore was confirmed as chair of the 34th ARF for the 2026–27 inter-sessional year and is set to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027.

Australia and the United States have previously withdrawn from some ASEAN defence activities involving the Myanmar military, while all three proposed co-organisers: Australia, the United States and Singapore have publicly criticised attacks on civilians in Myanmar, according to the JFM report.

JFM urged the three countries to prevent Myanmar military representatives from participating in the workshop, arguing that doing so would prevent counter-terrorism cooperation from providing knowledge that could be used for repression.