EU, US imposes sanctions on 11 Burmese officials over coup violence

The European Union, along with the US is issuing sanctions on 11 Myanmar officials over military violence against anti-coup protesters. 10 top military officers were among those to receive sanctions which include travel bans and the freezing of assets. 2 senior officals, including the national police chief were also targetted by the EU.

The eleventh person to be sanctioned is the head of the election commission who cancelled last year’s democratic vote, seeing the National League for Democracy winning by a landslide. Myanmar’s military junta prevented Parliament from convening on February 1, after claiming the democratic election results were fraudulent.

The State and Treasury department says it hit chief of police, Than Hlaing, and the commander of the Bureau of Special Operations, Lt Gen Aung Soe with sanctions along with 2 military units.

“These designations show that this violence will not go unanswered.”

The statement, issued during a meeting of EU foreign ministers, said the sanctions are a “robust response to the illegitimate over-throwing of the democratically-elected government and the brutal repression by the junta against peaceful protesters.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new sanctions demonstrate the international community’s commitment to the people of Burma, while Germany’s Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, echoed the condemnation.

“What we are seeing in the way of excesses of violence there is absolutely unacceptable; the number of killings has taken on intolerable dimensions. We don’t want to punish the population in Myanmar with sanctions, but those who are blatantly violating human rights there.”

Myanmar’s military has been accused of violently cracking down on anti-coup protesters, killing hundreds since the coup began in February. The UN has issued several statements indicating that crimes against humanity are likely being committed.

In response, the military says they are prepared to go it alone, citing they have always persisted despite deflecting the international community.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World