On February 1, the Burmese military staged a coup against the country’s civilian government. “Prior to the scheduled seating of Burma’s newly elected Parliament,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a written statement, “the Burmese military detained a broad cross-section of civilian government leadership, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, civil society leaders, journalists, and human right activists. We have been clear: this was a coup, and we will not sit idly by. This coup attempts to reject the will of the people of Burma as expressed during the November 2020 election.”
In response to the coup, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order Blocking Property With Respect to the Situation in Burma, authorizing sanctions in connection with the coup. The Treasury Department then imposed sanctions on several Burmese officials and entities.
Pursuant to the new Executive Order, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Department of State, designated 10 individuals involved in the coup and three entities supporting the military apparatus.
The designated individuals are Commander-in-Chief of the Burmese military forces Min Aung Hlaing, and his Deputy, Soe Win, First Vice President and retired Lieutenant General Myint Swe, Lieutenant General Sein Win, Lieutenant General Soe Htut, and Lieutenant General Ye Aung, all of whom led the coup.
General Mya Tun Oo, Admiral Tin Aung San, Lieutenant General Ye Win Oo, and Lieutenant General Aung Lin Dwe.
Myanmar Ruby Enterprise, Myanmar Imperial Jade Company, Limited, and the Cancri Company, LTD, were sanctioned for being wholly owned subsidiaries of a conglomerate controlled by Burma’s military.
As a result of the designations, all property, and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities, that are within U.S. jurisdiction or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked, and U.S. persons may not engage in transactions with them.
“These designations specifically target current or former members of the military who played a leading role in the overthrow of Burma’s democratically-elected government,” said Secretary of State Blinken.“They do not target the economy or people of Burma, and we have gone to great lengths to ensure we do not add to the humanitarian plight of the Burmese people.”
