US sanctions Myanmar military leaders who overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi in coup
- President Joe Biden says Washington’s ‘support for health care, civil society groups and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly’ will not change
- Washington freezes US$1 billion in funds held in the US by Myanmar’s government
The US has imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders and frozen US$1 billion in funds held in the US by the country’s government after a coup that toppled civilian officials including Aung San Suu Kyi, President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.
Biden also announced that he would restrict US exports to the Southeast Asian nation to impose “consequences on the leaders of the coup”, adding that “support for health care, civil society groups and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly” would not be cut.
“As protests grow, violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable and we’re going to keep calling it out. The people of Burma are making their voices heard and the world is watching,” he said, using the country’s former name, as is standard practice for the US government.
“We’ll be ready to impose additional measures, and we’ll continue to work with our international partners to urge other nations to join us in these efforts,” he said.
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Biden imposes sanctions on Myanmar military leaders behind coup
Outbreaks of violence in Myanmar in response to the coup are possible, according to a report published last week by the US Congressional Research Service.