In response to Myanmar coup, Biden approves sanctions order for generals and companies

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the political situation in Myanmar at the White House in Washington, United States, on February 10, 2021. REUTERS / Carlos Barria

US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he had approved an executive order for new sanctions on those responsible for the military coup in Myanmar and repeated demands that generals relinquish power and release civilian leaders.

Biden said the order allowed his administration to “immediately sanction the military leaders who led the coup, their business interests and close family members.”

He said Washington would identify the first round of targets this week and was taking steps to prevent generals in Myanmar, also known as Burma, from accessing $ 1 billion in funds from the Myanmar government in the United States.

“We are also going to impose strong controls on exports. We are freezing US assets that benefit the Burmese government, while maintaining our support for health care, civil society groups and other areas that directly benefit the people of Burma, ”Biden said at the White House.

“We will be ready to impose additional measures and we will continue to work with our international partners to urge other nations to join us in these efforts.”

The February 1 coup, which toppled the civilian-led government of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, occurred less than two weeks after Biden took office. It presented him with his first major international crisis and early proof of his dual commitment to refocusing human rights in foreign policy and working more closely with his allies.

Biden said Myanmar was a “deep and bipartisan concern” in the United States.

“I again call on the Burmese army to immediately release democratic political leaders and activists,” he said. “The military must renounce the power they have taken.”

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington was taking collective action with partners in Myanmar. ” We can impose substantial costs on ourselves. We can impose costs that are even higher … by working with our like-minded partners and allies, ”he said in a briefing.

Women in formal dresses protest against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 10, 2021. In this still image taken from social media. KYAW SOE THET via REUTERS

Western countries have condemned the coup, but analysts say Myanmar’s military will not be as isolated as it has been in the past, and that China, India, Southeast Asian neighbors and Japan are unlikely to sever ties given the strategic importance of the country.

Derek Mitchell, a former US ambassador to Mynamar, said it was vital to involve nations like Japan, India and Singapore in a forceful response.

“The key will not just be what the United States does,” he said. “It will be the way we will get others to join us, allies who may have more skin in the game, more influence or at least better relationships with key players.”

The United Nations’ main human rights body will consider on Friday a resolution drawn up by Britain and the European Union condemning the coup and demanding urgent access for monitors.

However, diplomats said China and Russia, which have ties to Myanmar’s armed forces, are expected to raise objections or try to weaken the text.

Protesters returned to the streets of Myanmar on Wednesday despite the shooting of a young woman the day before, with some using humor to emphasize their opposition to the coup.

The protests have been the largest in Myanmar in more than a decade, reviving memories of nearly half a century of direct army rule, peppered with bloody army crackdowns, until the military began to relinquish some power in 2011.

The army justified its inauguration by saying that the November 8 elections, which were won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party, were a fraud. The electoral commission dismissed the army’s complaints.

While Biden did not specify who would be affected by new sanctions, Washington is likely targeting coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and other top generals already under sanctions imposed by the United States in 2019 for abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities.

It could also target Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited and Myanmar Economic Corp, military holding companies with investments that span sectors such as banking, gemstones, copper, telecommunications and clothing.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi agreed in a phone call to urge Myanmar authorities to immediately stop the violence against protesters.

There were no reports of violence on Wednesday and in many places the protests took on a festive air, with bare-chested bodybuilders, women in ball gowns and wedding dresses, farmers on tractors and people with their pets.

Thousands of people joined the demonstrations in the main city of Yangon, while in the capital, Naypyitaw, hundreds of government workers marched in support of a growing campaign of civil disobedience.

The Biden administration has been working on its Myanmar policy with fellow Democrats and Republicans.

Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke Wednesday with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has a long-standing interest in the country and a close relationship with Suu Kyi, a McConnell aide said.

Suu Kyi, 75, won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning for democracy and remains popular at home despite damage to her international reputation by the plight of the Rohingya.

He has spent nearly 15 years under house arrest and is now facing charges for illegally importing six walkie-talkies. Her lawyer says they haven’t allowed her to see her.

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