224 People Killed In Military Coup, Myanmar Awaits The International Criminal Court

Myanmar military anti-coup protests. (Twitter/@David_Khaing_)

JAKARTA - The Myanmar Parliamentary Representative Committee (CRPH), which represents members of parliament who were ousted in the Myanmar military coup, is looking into the possibility of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigating crimes against humanity by the Myanmar military regime.

Myanmar's UN envoy Kyaw Moe Tun said the CRPH was looking for ways to hold the Myanmar military accountable for the violence following the coup.

"The ICC is one of them. We are not a country on the side of the ICC, but we need to explore ways and means of bringing this case to the ICC," Kyaw Moe Tun said at an event with the Columbia University Institute of Human Rights Studies, "reported Reuters.

Meanwhile, until Thursday, March 18 yesterday, the number of victims as a result of violence perpetrated by the Myanmar military, including the number of detained protesters, continued to grow.

"The total death toll in the weeks of rioting has risen to 224. A total of 2,258 people have been arrested, charged, or sentenced," said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Separately, the European Union will impose sanctions on individual Myanmar military figures on Monday to then target businesses run by the Myanmar military regime.

The network of military companies Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) spreads through the economy from mining and manufacturing to food and beverage to hotels, telecommunications, and banking. The new sanctions will deter EU investors and banks from doing business with them.

The EU-expected sanctions follow last month's decision by the United States to target its military and business interests. Britain last month froze assets and banned travel on three generals of Myanmar's military leadership.

"Whatever happens in Myanmar in the coming months, the economy will collapse, leaving tens of millions of people in trouble and needing immediate protection," historian and author Thant Myint-U said on Twitter.

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in that 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.