Small arms production and transfers in Southeast Asia

Abstract

This work offers the first comprehensive study of small arms production and transfers, both licit and illicit, in Southeast Asia. It includes detailed country studies of all ten ASEAN states, covering national production, inventories and holdings, known imports and exports, societal problems with small arms and weaknesses in existing gun control legislation. It also summarises intra-state conflicts and addresses the sometimes considerable small-arms holdings of non-state actors such as insurgent groups and private armies. The study concludes that Southeast Asia has a serious problem with the leakage of legally-owned weapons and with the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons. Furthermore, despite the growing international profile of small arms issues, ASEAN's members have been slow in taking effective action to combat illegal arms transfers. Show more