US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (10) announced sanctions against the military who carried out a coup in Myanmar, including the freezing of $ 1 billion in US government assets in the United States., 3 bi ).
In a brief announcement. Biden said the measures will affect the military involved in the coup and their families. However, the precise list of those affected will still be defined in the coming days.
Biden also called for the immediate release of the leaders of the previous government, arrested during the takeover, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the de facto ruler of the country.
The military carried out a coup in Myanmar on February 1, under the leadership of General Min Aung Hlaing. However, he and other commanders have already been subject to sanctions since 2019, in connection with the massacre of Muslim minorities.
According to Reuters, the Burmese military has ties with two of the country’s major business conglomerates, which operate in various fields, such as banking, cotton, clothing and telecommunications.
This Wednesday (10), activists took to the streets of Myanmar for the 5th day in a row. The protests, which have taken thousands to the streets, continue even after the government stepped up the crackdown.
Myanmar police used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the acts on Tuesday (9). Witnesses also reported the use of lethal ammunition, but the information has not been confirmed. At least four people were injured. Police said the use of violence against protesters was necessary and 28 police officers were injured.
“Violence against protesters is unacceptable. The world is watching,” Biden warned. “Further action could be taken,” Biden warned.
In Wednesday’s acts, no cases of violence were reported, according to Reuters. In some demonstrations there was a festive and humorous atmosphere, with shirtless bodybuilders, women in evening dresses, farmers with tractors and people with their pets.
Myanmar has a violent history of suppressing protests. During the 1988 uprising, more than 3,000 demonstrators were killed by the country’s security forces in acts against the military regime.
The junta that now rules the country has banned gatherings of more than five people in various regions and instituted an 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew in Rangoon and Mandalay, the country’s two largest cities.
When they took power last week, the military declared a state of emergency which is expected to last for a year. Hlaing himself, however, said last week that he could stay in power after this period to coordinate a new election.
The last parliamentary elections in Myanmar were held in November 2020. The big winner was the National League for Democracy (LND), Suu Kyi’s party.
The legend, who has ruled the country since 2015, won 83% of the vote and won 396 of the 476 seats in parliament in the November elections, but was unable to take charge when the coup was implemented on the day of the inauguration of the new legislative body. The Military-backed Solidarity and Development Union Party won only 33 seats.
The coup has been severely criticized by the international community. Political leaders of different nationalities have called for the reinstatement of the democratically elected government and the release of all civilian prisoners, including countries in the European Union and the governments of countries like the Philippines and New Zealand.
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its part, did not mention the military coup or political prisoners in a note published on the subject and confined itself to saying that it expects “a rapid return of the country with democratic normality and preservation Rule of law “.
In Wednesday’s speech, Biden called on other governments to take action against the coup as well. “The message from the United States is essential, in our view, to encourage other countries to push for an immediate return to democracy,” Biden said.