25-8-2023 (WASHINGTON) The United States has expanded its sanctions against Myanmar, targeting foreign entities and individuals aiding the country’s military junta in procuring jet fuel for use in airstrikes against its own citizens, as announced by the U.S. Treasury Department in a statement on Wednesday.
In its latest move, the Treasury Department has added two individuals, Khin Phyu Win and Zaw Min Tun, to its sanctions list. Additionally, it has identified three companies associated with them that are engaged in the procurement and distribution of jet fuel for the military regime, which seized power in a coup in February 2021.
The Treasury Department has issued a determination designating the jet fuel sector in Myanmar as subject to an executive order signed by President Joe Biden. This order prevents companies outside of Myanmar from engaging with the country’s defense sector.
Brian Nelson, the under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, highlighted the rationale behind the expanded sanctions, stating, “By expanding the use of our sanctions authority to target an additional sector critical to the military regime, we are able to further deprive the regime of the resources that enable it to oppress its citizens.”
The Treasury Department’s statement noted that Myanmar’s junta has increasingly relied on violent airstrikes to suppress the people of the country, citing recent airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties. It estimated that the military junta has been responsible for the deaths of more than 3,900 civilians since the coup.
Myanmar’s military officials have downplayed the impact of sanctions, claiming that their actions are directed towards insurgents.
Since the coup in which they ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the United States and other Western nations have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders. The coup triggered a violent crackdown in which thousands of opponents were killed, leading to a protracted insurgency.
In June, Washington targeted two state-owned banks used by revenue-generating state-owned enterprises, including the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise. This move was seen as an attempt to disrupt the junta’s access to foreign currency, a measure supported by activists seeking to curb the junta’s financial resources.
