Britain on Thursday announced a new round of sanctions targeting military-linked businesses in Myanmar in support of the Southeast Asian country’s Rohingya community and to limit the military’s access to arms and revenue.

“We continue to stand in solidarity with the Rohingya people and condemn the Myanmar Armed Forces’ horrific campaign of ethnic cleansing,” British Minister for Asia Amanda Milling said in a statement.

Myanmar has been in political and economic chaos since the military overthrew an elected government in early 2021.

Myanmar has been in political and economic chaos since the military overthrew the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in early 2021, followed by a bloody crackdown on protests against the coup.

In spite of the fact that in April 2021, Myanmar’s military rulers had agreed to a five-point plan of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that would restore peace and stability to the country, little effort has been made to implement it.

Myanmar has since slipped into a situation some have characterised as a civil war.

Efforts by Myanmar’s Southeast Asian neighbours to revive peace have also been hampered by the country’s recent execution of four political activists, including two from the pro-democracy movement.

The Security Council, including allies Russia and China, condemned the executions.

Earlier this month, news media said that Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who also serves as a special envoy to Myanmar for the 10-member ASEAN, warned that further executions would force the regional group to reconsider how it engages with the country.

In its annual report released in early August, the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Burma found growing evidence that crimes against humanity were being committed in the country.

Since the military coup, more than 2,100 civilians have been killed and nearly 15,000 arrested, according to news reports.

Ms Heyzer’s visit came a day after a court in the military-run state convicted the ousted leader on four extra counts of corruption and added six more years in prison to her previous 11-year sentence.

The UN had no details on whether Ms Heyzer will meet with Myanmar’s military rulers or Ms Suu Kyi – a longtime UN’s demand. 

(Reuters/NAN)