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MARCH 5TH: Myanmar’s junta lost a tug of war over the leadership of its UN mission in New York and the United States unveiled new sanctions against military conglomerates after the deaths of dozens of civilians protesting against the coup of the month last.
With struggles for diplomatic loyalties abroad, pro-democracy activists said they planned to hold more demonstrations in Myanmar on Friday to oppose the removal of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.
“Our federation will be on its way to fight the military regime together with the people,” the Burmese Federation of Student Unions posted on social media Thursday night.
Police broke up the demonstrations with tear gas and gunfire in several cities in Myanmar on Thursday, as protesters returned to the streets after the United Nations said 38 people had died on Wednesday in the bloodiest day of protests so far.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet demanded that the security forces stop what she called their “brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters.” Bachelet said that more than 1,700 people have been arrested, including 29 journalists.
A spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
A showdown over who represents Myanmar at the United Nations in New York was avoided, for now, after the replacement board resigned and Myanmar’s mission to the UN confirmed that Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun remained in office.
The junta fired Kyaw Moe Tun on Saturday after he urged countries in the UN General Assembly to use “whatever means necessary” to reverse the coup.
In Washington, it was unclear whether the Myanmar embassy continued to represent the junta, after it issued a statement denouncing the deaths of civilians protesting the coup and calling on the authorities “to exercise full restraint.”
An embassy diplomat also resigned, and at least three others said in social media posts that they were joining the civil disobedience movement against the military government.
“This is an encouragement for us that we are going to go outside tomorrow,” wrote Facebook user U Zay Yan, responding to the news.
The UN human rights researcher in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, urged the Security Council, which is meeting to discuss the situation on Friday, to impose a global arms embargo and specific economic sanctions on the junta.
States should impose sanctions on Myanmar’s oil and gas company, now controlled by the military and its biggest source of income, it said in a report.
New York Fed freezes $ 1 billion
Myanmar activists continued to call for the release of 75-year-old Suu Kyi, who was arrested the morning of the coup, and for recognition of her November 8 election victory. They also reject the board’s promise to hold new elections on an unspecified date.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won the election overwhelmingly, but the army has refused to accept the result, citing fraud. The electoral commission said the vote was fair.
Hundreds of people attended Thursday the funeral of a 19-year-old woman who was shot to death in a protest while wearing a T-shirt that read “Everything will be fine.” After his death, the slogan went viral as a symbol of defiance.
Sources told Reuters that Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move around $ 1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after taking power. US officials frozen those funds indefinitely, they said.
The US Department of Commerce has appointed trade restrictions to the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and two Myanmar military conglomerates that control swaths of the economy, with interests ranging from beer to real estate.
But the measures are expected to have limited impact as the entities are not major importers.
“A bigger impact would be going after the financial assets of the military leaders of the coup,” said William Reinsch, a former Commerce Department official.
The European Union suspended support for development projects to avoid providing financial assistance to the military. Support in recent years has amounted to more than 200 million euros ($ 241 million) in separate programs.
Myanmar’s generals have ignored external pressure.
The United States has told China, which has refused to condemn the coup, that it hopes it will play a constructive role. China has said that stability is a top priority in its strategic neighbor. Reuters
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