JFM welcomes UK sanctions marking the 5th anniversary of the Rohingya genocide
Justice For Myanmar welcomes the latest round of UK sanctions, targeting International Gateways Group, Star Sapphire Group and Sky One Construction.
International Gateways Group and Star Sapphire Group are major Myanmar military arms brokers. Star Sapphire Group is also a source of revenue for the military through its various businesses, which include mining, a hotel and a casino.
Sky One Construction is a company controlled by Aung Pyae Sone, the son of war criminal and junta head Min Aung Hlaing.
International Gateways Group, Star Sapphire Group and Sky One Construction all made donations to the Myanmar military in 2017, in support of the Rohingya genocide, and were identified by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: “The UK government’s latest round of sanctions helps to stop the continued flow of arms and funds to the Myanmar military junta, a terrorist organisation that commits atrocity crimes with total impunity.
“The same individuals responsible for the Rohingya genocide now head the illegal junta, waging a campaign of terror against the Myanmar people that has involved the murder of more than 2,200 people, the arrest of more than 15,000, widespread torture, indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes, and mass displacement.
“The international community’s failure to take coordinated action in response to the Rohingya genocide has emboldened the Myanmar military to continue its commission of atrocity crimes and to stage its attempted coup on February 1, 2021.
“The UN and its member states must learn from these mistakes and take coordinated action now against the junta to stop the flow of funds and arms that sustain its international crimes, and to hold all perpetrators of atrocity crimes to account.
“This must urgently include sanctions against Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) and a ban on jet fuel.
“We condemn the continued inaction of Australia, India, Japan and South Korea, regional democracies that have so far refused to impose any sanctions on the junta. We demand they live up to their international responsibilities and act.”
