Death Toll Nearly 800, The U.S. Adds Sanctions To Myanmar Military Regime

Myanmar military regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing reviews one of the government-owned companies. (Source: seniorgeneralminaunghlaing.com.mm)

JAKARTA - The United States (U.S.), Britain, and Canada on Monday imposed new sanctions targeting Myanmar's military regime, following a growing number of anti-coup civilian casualties.

A total of 13 officials and entities associated with the State Administrative Council (SAC), the government of Myanmar's military regime, were hit by asset freezes and business bans from the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the regime was not trying to restore Myanmar's democratic path. Therefore, he called on all countries to consider an arms embargo and end commercial cooperation, with military-related entities.

Blinken also urged the military to urgently work with the United Nations (UN) and Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to implement the five-point plan reached through last month's consensus, which includes an end to violence and dialogue between the military and the military.

"Our actions today underscore our determination and our partners, to apply political and financial pressure on the regime during the failure to stop the violence and take meaningful action to respect the wishes of the people", Blinken said in a statement, according to Reuters on Tuesday.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement accused the SAC, which was formed the day after the coup, of being formed by Myanmar's military to support the unlawful overthrow of a democratically elected civilian government.

The U.S. sanctions list includes four SAC members and nine other officials who the Treasury Department says are key members of Myanmar's military government, including the central bank governor and the head of the military-appointed election body.

In addition to the United States, at the same time, Canada said it was imposing additional sanctions on individuals and entities associated with Myanmar's armed forces. Meanwhile, the UK announced sanctions against Myanmar's state-owned gems enterprise.

Since the February 1, 2021 coup, Myanmar's military regime has killed at least 790 civilians and detained 5.073 others as of Sunday 16 May, according to The Irrawaddy.

Regarding the Myanmar coup. VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of ASEAN's member countries. Civilian casualties continue to fall. You can follow the news about Myanmar's military coup by tapping this link.