The United States on Monday announced sanctions against two leaders of the Burmese military junta that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, promising to take further action if the military again uses force against protesters.
“We will not hesitate to take further action against those who commit acts of violence and suppress the will of the people. We will not waver in our support for the Burmese people ”, warned the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken.
Three weeks after the February 1 putsch, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Myanmar on Monday to again denounce the military coup, defying the junta which warned the protesters that they risked “perishing”.
“We call on the army and police to cease all attacks on peaceful protesters, immediately release all those wrongfully detained, end the attacks and intimidation against journalists and activists, and restore the government democratically elected, ”the US Secretary of State said in a statement.
The Biden administration had already announced ten days ago a round of sanctions against several leaders of the ruling junta, including its leader, General Min Aung Hlaing.