EU, US impose sanctions on Myanmar as protests gain steam

In Yangon, motorists honked car horns to mark the one-month anniversary of the launch of one of the biggest protests since the coup

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visits Brunei to share ‘deep concerns’ over situation as he lays groundwork for Asean summit

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Firecrackers explode as protesters take cover behind a barricade during a demonstration in Mandalay. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:00pm, 22 Mar 2021Updated: 11:53pm, 22 Mar 2021

Protesters honked car horns in Myanmar on Monday and planted posters in an empty square to avoid arrest, injury or death as the European Union placed junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on an assets freeze and visa ban blacklist over a coup and crackdown on demonstrators and the US also imposed sanctions.

“Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing has been directly involved in and responsible for decision-making concerning state functions and is therefore responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar,” the EU said.

It said that the army chief was “directly responsible” for a brutal crackdown by the authorities in the wake of the February 1 seizure of power.

The 27-nation bloc also added nine other senior military officers and the head of Myanmar’s election commission to the list. The listings – approved by foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels on Monday – represent the EU’s first punitive measures over the coup.

It was the bloc’s most significant response to the coup so far. According to diplomats and two internal documents, the EU is also planning to target companies “generating revenue for, or providing financial support to, the Myanmar Armed Forces”.