The US and Australia announced new round of sanctions against Myanmar’s military regime, focused on restricting access to banking funds and limiting fuel supplies to the army to stop the bombing of the population, three years after the anniversary of the February 1, 2021 coup.

“Our actions today underscore our commitment depriving the military regime of the resources it needs to carry out attacks against its people,” Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement released Jan. 31 in Washington.

The sanctions target two organizations that maintain relations with Myanmar Economic Holdings Public Company Limited, under US sanctions since March 2021, which has facilitated the acquisition of foreign currency and the import of oil to supply the military.

These are the Shwe Byain Phyu Group of Companies (SBPG) and the Myanma Five Star Line.

Similarly, the US Department of State’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) points out four people (Thein Win Zaw, Tin Latt Min and his children, Thein Win Htet and Win Paing Kyaw) associated with these companies and two dozen others that facilitate the regime’s access to oil and foreign currency.

Under sanctions, all the property and interests of these individuals are located in the United States. They need to be blocked and reported as well as companies that directly or indirectly own at least 50 percent of the assets.

“After the coup, the military regime carried out campaign of violence and repression and carried out explosions that killed hundreds of civilians,” the US statement said.

Shutting off the fuel supply through the gasket That’s one of the usual calls from human rights groups in the face of army bombings, which experts say have increased as a result of a rebel offensive launched in late October that has kept the armed forces on edge.

The army justified the coup on February 1, 2021 massive undocumented fraud during the November 2020 general elections, in which the National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi devastated, ending a decade of democratic transition, plunging the country into violence and semi-anarchy.

Suu Kyi, 78, was arrested during the unrest and is currently in custody. He is serving several prison sentences on charges brought after the uprising.

For its part, the Australian government announced this Thursday a new round of targeted sanctions against five organizations linked to Myanmar’s military junta. “These sanctions are intended to limit regime access to funds and materials “This allows him to continue to commit atrocities against his own people,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

New sanctioned entities target two banks -Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanmar Commercial and Investment Bank- and three companies that supply jet fuel to Myanmar’s military – Asia Sun Group, Asia Sun Trading Co Ltd and Cargo Link Petroleum Logistics Co Ltd.

“These sanctions are response to the regime’s ongoing repression of the peopleescalating violence and the continued deterioration of the political, humanitarian and security situation,” the Australian ministry emphasizes.

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While the European Union was ready to take new restrictive measures cagainst those responsible for “serious” human rights violations and undermining democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar.

“Three years ago, on February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military overthrew a democratically elected government by force. The military actions have undermined the country’s democratic development and plunged Myanmar into a deep political, economic, human rights and humanitarian crisis that significantly threatens the stability of the country and the region,” said European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell. in a statement on behalf of the EU.

Myanmar’s military junta announced in a statement yesterday, fifth extension of the national state of emergency after the coup d’état, when the military regime was in its worst state since the coup.

The extension of the state of emergency guarantees the armed forces full executive and legislative powers for another six months and excludes the possibility of elections that cannot be held within the specified period in accordance with the constitutional mandate.

Currently there there are more than 2.6 million internally displaced people in the country; Since February 1, 2021, 2.3 million of them have been forcibly displaced.

More than 70,000 people have fled to neighboring countries as refugees, while more than a million Rohingya refugees remain in Bangladesh after being expelled by Myanmar’s military.

(according to information from EFE)