MEDIA STATEMENT FROM BDS MALAYSIA
TRANSPORTATION OF EXPLOSIVES TO ENABLE ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE: THE INVOLVEMENT OF UNITED O7 ASIA SDN BHD
A cargo vessel named MV Kathrin is presently on her way to Bar, Montenegro and is estimated to arrive there on the 27th September.
The vessel is carrying 8 containers of military explosives destined for Israel. This is in violation of the Genocide Convention and the United Nations Human Rights Council’s call for a military embargo on Israel. For that reason, it has been blocked by authorities in Namibia from docking at any of their ports in its voyage to Bar.
BDS Malaysia hereby draws public attention to the company behind the setting up of the entire operation of the said military shipment to Israel. This company maintains its Asia headquarters here in KL and is called United O7 Asia Sdn Bhd. We have information that MV Kathrin is among the vessels operated by this company.
The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision in January 2024, in the case brought by South Africa, stipulates that Israel is plausibly perpetrating genocide. The ICJ in the same decision further orders provisional measures against Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza which means that a state can be held legally responsible when it fails to apply due diligence and implement all lawful means under its authority to prevent and stop genocide. Furthermore, legal experts state that a corporation or individual businessperson that knowingly assists a state in violating the customary international law principles, including the prohibition to commit genocide, may be complicit in such a violation.
Also, the United Nations Human Rights Council in April 2024, called on all states “to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel, the occupying Power.”
Participation in arms transfer to Israel therefore amounts to complicity in genocide, crimes of humanity and war crimes.
We are very perturbed that a company whose project is in violation of international law is allowed to operate in our country. It implies that Malaysia too is complicit if the situation was allowed to continue. We therefore call on;
• United O7 Asia Sdn Bhd to immediately stop operating the vessel or unload its illegal cargo.
• The Malaysian government to ban the company from operating in Malaysia if it refuses to do any of the above.
With the above legal framework in mind, BDS Malaysia will be lodging a police report on the following date and time:
Friday, 13th September 2024, 10.30am at the Sentul District Police Headquarters, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah.
This will be followed by a media briefing by BDS representatives to which all members of the media are invited.
BDS Malaysia
12 September 2024