WASHINGTON (CU)_President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday (Feb 10) that the United States will impose sanctions on the military leaders of Myanmar who directed the coup which overthrew and detained the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and several other government figures.
Moreover, various other restrictions, including export controls, as well as freezing of assets, will be imposed in response to the situation in the Southeast Asian country.
Announcing two new executive orders related to the sanctions, President Biden said: “We will identify a first round of targets this week, and we’re also going to impose strong exports controls”.
He added that the government will bar the Burmese military from receiving access to $1 billion in Myanmar funds being held in the US, and will also freeze US assets which will benefit the Burmese government, while maintaining support for areas such as health care, which benefit the people of Burma directly.
Furthermore, the US President urged Myanmar’s military to “relinquish the power it seized” on February 1, and to refrain from using violence against those protesting against the coup.
Previously, President Biden denounced the military takeover of the civilian-led government, calling it “a direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and rule of law.”
When inquired about the sanctions, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States can certainly impose substantial costs which are “even steeper” than the existing sanctions. “We think that we can certainly impose substantial costs on those who are responsible for this,” he noted.
Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner and a Nobel laureate, first came into power in 2015 through a landmark election victory, following 50 years of military governance in Myanmar. Despite her efforts to embark on some democratic reforms in the country, Myanmar’s military was constantly in conflict with the quasi-civilian government.
Nevertheless, the crackdown on February 1 was centred around November’s parliamentary election, in which the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) performed poorly. Therefore, the military repeatedly disputed the election results, and seized power in a bloodless coup, arresting Suu Kyi and other democratically elected civilian leaders.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Myanmar took to the streets in protest, demanding the release of the government leaders who continue to be detained. In response, the country’s army banned rallies and gatherings of more than five people, and imposed curfew from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the two largest cities in the country.
