UK Sanctions on Myanmar Military-Linked Institutions

 

The UK has imposed sanctions on a number of businesses linked to Myanmar's military.  The ban was announced on the five-year anniversary of the military's crackdown on the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine.

 According to a statement issued by the UK government on Thursday, the companies on the list of sanctions are Star Sapphire Group of Companies, International Gateways Group of Companies (IGG) and Sky One Construction Company Limited.  The ban is intended to limit Myanmar's military's access to weapons and revenue.

Meanwhile, the UK wants to intervene in the Gambia vs. Myanmar case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said the country's Asian Affairs Minister Amanda Milling.  The Gambia filed the case against Naypyidaw in November 2019, alleging atrocities against the Rohingya.  The ICJ will determine whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya in violation of the 'Genocide Convention' in 2016 and 2017.

 On August 25, 2017, the Myanmar military started attacking the Rohingya in Rakhine.  According to a UN report, more than 10,000 Rohingyas were killed in the operation of the Myanmar army, 740,000 Rohingyas fled and took refuge in Bangladesh.

 The report claimed that Myanmar's armed forces had carried out sexual violence against the Rohingya.  There were also incidents of torture, serious violence against children and the burning of villages.

According to the statement of the UK government, the Myanmar military has committed these crimes but they have been given impunity.  It is of grave concern that the country's military is currently carrying out a similar crackdown on Myanmar's pro-democracy groups.  The UK's position in this regard is clear.  What happened to the Rohingyas was an ethnic cleansing campaign.  The UK is therefore committed to taking action to stop the atrocities committed by Myanmar's military and to bring them to justice.

Minister Amanda Milling said: 'The UK will always take a tough stand against those who seek to undermine and destroy our values ​​of freedom and democracy.  For the past five years, we have been expressing solidarity with the Rohingya people and condemning the ethnic cleansing campaign by the Myanmar Armed Forces.