65th Birthday, Myanmar Military Regime Leader Gets US Sanctions Gift And Coffin

JAKARTA - The leader of the Myanmar military regime, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, received an unpleasant gift on his 65th birthday last Saturday, July 3, instead of a birthday present.

The ominous gift came as protesters burned mock coffins and pictures of Myanmar's military ruler Min Aung Hlaing, in the latest demonstration against a military coup last Saturday.

"May you rest in peace" and "may your birthday and death be the same," read the message on a funeral wreath in Theinzayet township in eastern Mon state. Similar protests took place in many parts of Myanmar, citing Reuters on Sunday 4 July.

"We burn this as a curse," said a protester in the second city of Mandalay, burning a small stack of pictures of the 65-year-old general. A spokesman for the military authorities did not respond to a request for comment.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was supposed to retire after his 65th birthday, but the mandatory retirement age was canceled after the coup. The army said its assumption of power was in line with the constitution. He alleges fraud in the November election swept by Suu Kyi's party, although the allegations have been denied by the previous electoral body.

Previously, citing Al Jazeera on Sunday, July 4, gifts not wearing were 'given' by the United States (US) when imposing new sanctions against the Myanmar military regime, last Friday, July 2, targeting the leader of the military regime, his wife and children.

"Today's steps further indicate that we will continue to take additional action against the military and its leaders until they reverse course and deliver democracy back," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The latest sanctions target 22 people. They include seven key members of the State Administration Council (SAC) that governs the regime, four of whom are cabinet members.

Furthermore, the wife of coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, and seven other pairs of members of the Myanmar military regime were also targeted this time. Seven adult children of regime members are also on the list. Min Aung Hlaing's two adult children have been sanctioned.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the 15 relatives mentioned above were spouses or adult children of senior Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) officers whose financial links had previously contributed to the illegitimate profits of military officials.

In addition to individuals, four entities were blacklisted by the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for providing support to Myanmar's military, according to the announcement.

They include three Chinese copper companies that provide support to the Myanmar regime through revenue-sharing arrangements with the military-owned and approved Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited. They are Wanbao Mining and its two subsidiaries, Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper Ltd. and Myanmar Yang Tse Copper Ltd. A telecommunications company, King Royal, which has provided satellite communications services for the Myanmar military, is also on the list.

OFAC Director Andrea Gacki said the military's suppression of democracy and the brutal campaign of violence against the Myanmar people were unacceptable.

"Today's actions demonstrate that the United States will continue to impose increasing costs on the Burmese military, promoting accountability for those responsible for the military coup and ongoing violence, including by targeting sources of income for the military and its leaders," Gacki said as reported by The Irrawaddy.

Late last month, the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on eight Myanmar officials, including the country's police and navy chiefs, who were responsible for a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests and for cutting off the internet following the February 1 coup by the junta.

Separately, as of July 2, the Myanmar military coup left 888 residents dead and a total of 6,472 people detained since the February 1 military coup, with 5,173 of those released, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news covering the Myanmar military coup by clicking this link.