Again Imposing Sanctions Against Myanmar Military Regime, United States: We Are Not Finished

Myanmar security forces arrest military anti-coup protesters. (Wikimedia Commons/Sithu Naina/VOA)

JAKARTA - Washington will continue to impose sanctions on Myanmar's military regime, as well as those who helped the junta take power a year ago, US State Department official Derek Chollet said on Wednesday.

The United States, along with Britain and Canada, this week imposed the latest sanctions against people and organizations linked to Myanmar's military regime, targeting judicial officials involved in the prosecution of Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted leader who has been detained since the coup on February 1, 2021.

"And we are not done yet. There are those who are behind the coup or assisting the coup, there are also those who are working to undermine the path of democracy within Burma, and we will continue to observe any individual or entity that is part of that." Chollet, as reported by Reuters on February 3.

The military coup sparked strikes and protests that left some 1,500 civilians dead in the crackdown, with about 11,800 illegally detained, according to UN human rights office figures.

The Myanmar embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, the military has rejected allegations of abuse, accusing international critics of ignoring abuses by its opponents and saying it can withstand international sanctions and isolation.

Speaking at a virtual event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Chollet said President Biden's administration has now imposed sanctions on 65 individuals, as well as imposed sanctions or placed export controls on 26 organizations "with close ties to the regime."

The latest US sanctions announced Monday include targeting one Myanmar businessman suspected of helping the military regime acquire weapons, as well as another suspected of providing financial support.

Chollet said Washington was in regular contact with opponents of the military regime, including the Government of National Unity (NUG), a parallel government that wants the West to do more to pressure the junta.

To note, Chollet has met with officials in Singapore, Myanmar's biggest source of foreign investment in recent years, to discuss ways to limit the military's access to financial assets overseas.

US treasury officials are "working very, very intensively" with Singapore to find ways to influence Myanmar's military thinking, Chollet said.

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.