In a coordinated effort against Myanmar’s military regime, the European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada on Tuesday imposed sanctions on six individuals, including cronies and militia leaders, as well as on eight enterprises supplying funds, arms, equipment, and jet fuel to the junta.
The latest international sanctions come after the regime ramped up airstrikes against civilian targets in August, killing dozens of civilians.
The Canadian government blacklisted junta industry minister Charlie Than and associates Ne Aung and Win Kyaw Kyaw Aung. It also sanctioned four companies: International Group of Entrepreneurs (IGE), Swan Energy Company(SEC), Royal Shune Lei (RSL), and King Royal Technologies (KRT).
The UK imposed sanctions against five companies: Asia Sun Group (ASG), SEC, Myan-Oil (MOC), Rich Ray Trading (RRT) and Progress Technology Support (PTS), aka Royal Shune Lei.
Canada and the UK said the targeted individuals and enterprises had contributed to violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed by the military regime.
The targeted ASG is responsible for importing, storing and distributing aviation fuel essential to sustaining the junta’s aerial campaign of terror, rights group Justice for Myanmar (JFM) said on Tuesday.
Swan Energy is an associate of ASG. Both companies enable and profit from the junta’s indiscriminate airstrikes and are abetting its war crimes, JFM stated.
The sanctioned MOC and RRT groups are also associates of Shoon Energy, a subsidiary of ASG.
PTS meanwhile supplies arms and related materials from Russia and Serbia to the regime’s military, JFM said.
Blacklisted businessman Win Kyaw Kyaw Aung is the founder of Asia Sun Energy, another ASG subsidiary. His low profile in business circles made him an ideal frontman for the generals.
Fellow sanction-hit tycoon Ne Aung is the founder of IGE, part of a crony conglomerate spanning banking, hydropower and real estate, according to JFM.
IGE was previously sanctioned by the UK and EU for its involvement in the repression of the civilian population by siphoning funds or other economic resources to the regime.
Independent research group Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica reports that the junta conducted 3,293 airstrikes across the country between February 2021 and August this year, killing 1,749 civilians and injuring 2,453.
Since September, when junta boss Min Aung Hlaing launched a counteroffensive to retake lost territory, the air force has escalated its bombardment of civilian targets including towns, hospitals, IDP camps, schools, markets and religious sites in resistance territory.
The escalation has seen around 200 people killed in some 60 airstrikes, including dozens of junta troops being held as prisoners of war.
UK Minister for Indo-Pacific Catherine West explained the reason for the latest sanctions:
“The human rights violations taking place across Myanmar, including airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, by the military is unacceptable and the impact on innocent civilians is intolerable.”
Meanwhile, the EU blacklisted junta Border Guard Force (BGF) leaders Colonel Saw Chit Thu, Lieutenant Colonel Mote Thun and Major Tin Win while sanctioning their company Chit Linn Myaing Group for profiting from scam centers in their territory in Myawaddy Township on the border with Thailand, including the city of Shwe Kokko.
The EU noted that Shwe Kokko is a hub for transnational crime, including online fraud, drug and human trafficking, with forced labor and torture rampant.
Saw Chit Thu founded the BGF, which in March announced it had split from the junta’s chain of command and reformed as the Karen National Army (KNA). However, its leadership remains close to the regime. The KNA and regime forces have taken control of border trade hub Myawaddy, according to local sources.
JFM spokesperson Yadanar Maung said the coordinated sanctions would disrupt the junta’s illicit business operations but emphasized that much more needs to be done.
She noted that current sanctions are often slow, lack sufficient coordination, and do not encompass the entire network of crony companies and individuals, leaving too many avenues for the junta and its associates to evade penalties.
“We urge governments to take urgent further action to stand with the people of Myanmar who face daily acts of terror committed by the illegal regime,” she said.