KUALA LUMPUR – BDS Malaysia has accused United O7 Asia Sdn Bhd, a company it claimed to maintain its Asian headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, of being involved in the shipment of military explosives to Israel, and demanded that it stop all operations related to the shipment.
The company is allegedly overseeing the transportation of eight containers of explosives aboard the vessel MV Kathrin, currently en route to Bar, Montenegro, with an expected arrival on September 27.
BDS Malaysia demanded that United O7 Asia immediately cease all operations related to the shipment of the explosives and unload its military cargo.
“We urge United O7 Asia to stop its involvement in this illegal operation. The company is violating international law by facilitating the delivery of explosives to Israel,” it said.
It is also urging the Malaysian government to ban United O7 Asia from operating in the country if it refuses to comply.
“It is deeply troubling that a company involved in such illegal activities is allowed to operate on Malaysian soil. If this continues, Malaysia risks being seen as complicit in these violations of international law,” BDS Malaysia warned.
In a statement, BDS Malaysia revealed that Namibian authorities had already refused the vessel permission to dock due to the nature of its cargo. The explosives, intended for Israel, are said to be in violation of the Genocide Convention and a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for a military embargo on the country.
“United O7 Asia is directly enabling Israel’s military operations, which, according to the International Court of Justice, are part of a plausible genocide,” the statement read.
BDS Malaysia referenced a January 2024 ruling by the International Court of Justice that found Israel to be plausibly committing genocide in Gaza. The group further warned that participation in arms transfers to Israel amounts to complicity in genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The group also referred to the United Nations Human Rights Council in April 2024, which called on all states “to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel, the occupying power.”
The organisation will file a police report on the matter tomorrow at the Sentul police headquarters.
This will be followed by a media briefing, where BDS Malaysia said it will outline its concerns in more detail and address its expectations of both the company and the Malaysian government. – September 12, 2024