Myanmar coup: Junta loses UN leadership; US blocks it from emptying US$1 billion bank account in New York
- Military leaders tried to move the funds just days after seizing power in a coup last month, in an apparent effort to limit exposure to international sanctions
- Myanmar security forces killed a young protester on Friday, as Singapore said it was a ‘national shame’ for them to use weapons against their own people
US officials had earlier put a freeze on US$1 billion worth of funds held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one US government official.
The attempt, which had not been previously reported, came after Myanmar’s military installed a new central bank governor and detained reformist officials during the February 1 coup.
A spokesman for the New York Fed declined to comment on specific account holders and the US Treasury Department also declined to comment.
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Drone footage shows Myanmar police dragging people believed to be dead in crackdown on protesters
Tussles over diplomatic loyalties became more apparent on Thursday, after the junta’s replacement as Ambassador to the UN resigned. The military had fired Kyaw Moe Tun last week after he urged countries at the UN General Assembly to use “any means necessary” to reverse the coup and asked his deputy Tin Maung Naing to replace him.
In Washington, it was unclear whether Myanmar’s embassy was still representing the junta, after it issued a statement decrying the deaths of civilian protesters and called on authorities to “fully exercise utmost restraint”.