London, UK — BHRN welcomes the announcement of targeted sanctions on three Burmese military leaders in response to the 1 February Coup but urges the government to follow through with tougher sanctions on Businesses owned by or connected to the military. The sanctions by the UK came on the same day as similar sanctions announced by Canada against 9 military figures in Burma and an announcement that the EU plans to draft similar sanctions as well. The moves by these States are a positive step with unity among powerful nations in their responseto Burma’s military’s seizure of power, but further actions must follow. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced the government’s intention to prevent UK businesses from working with the Burmese military and will prevent foreign aid from being diverted to the Tatmadaw.

“We are grateful for the UK for these first steps, but it is critical that they go further. With the current sanctions in place, the military will not be affected in a way that would make them reconsider their actions. In order to apply maximum pressure on the military, the UK Government must go directly after the military’s business interests inside of Burma. We welcome Foreign Secretary Raab’s announcement of plans to prevent UK businesses from working with the Tatmadaw and hope they can be implemented as soon as possible in order to have the greatest impact at a time the people of Burma most desperately need them, While the international community is finding unity in their response to the Military’s coup, UK’s next steps are not as clear. A strong coalition is important in exerting pressure on Burma, but that pressure must have a significant monetary and political impact on the Burmese military,” said BHRN’s Executive Director Kyaw Win.

BHRN calls on the UK to target sanctions on all of the business interests of the Burmese Military and state enterprises. The UK must treat the military regime as a pariah government and offer them no legitimacy in any forum. BHRN calls on all other nations to do the same in a unified response to the undemocratic actions of the Burmese military and their violence against protesters. The recent crimes by the Tatmadaw must not be seen as isolated incidents, and similar unity must be held in calls for consequences for the Burmese military’s attacks on minorities. The UK and like-minded nations must offer additional support for the cases against Burma at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court for their crimes against the Rohingya.