Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday urged the Japanese government to drop a plan to donate 100 million yen to buy vehicles and communications equipment for the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) to use to protect dignitaries, arguing that the police are partners with the army in widespread abuses, RFA reported.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced the plan on July 2, describing it as a modernization effort aimed at “strengthening the capabilities of police agencies in various fields,” and “updating equipment that had not been replaced for more than 20 years in a country vulnerable to terrorism, illegal drug trafficking and human trafficking.”