US urges UN Security Council to press Myanmar to return to democracy

Business Standard

AP | United Nations
July 30, 2021 

A senior US diplomat urged the UN Security Council on Thursday to press Myanmar's military to stop violence and restore democracy

A senior US diplomat urged the U. Security Council on Thursday to press Myanmar's military to stop violence and restore democracy, warning that with COVID-19 surging and hunger increasing, the longer we delay, the more people die.

Deputy US Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis said Myanmar is reeling from a surge in COVID-19 cases and faces a burgeoning health catastrophe as a direct result of the military's brutality and administrative failures since its coup six months ago.

China, Myanmar named in US genocide report

UCA News

UCA News reporter
Published: July 14, 2021

Report highlights China's treatment of Uyghurs and Myanmar military's ethnic cleansing and post-coup atrocities

Protesters gather outside the Belgian parliament in Brussels on July 8 as MPs vote on a resolution to recognize China's policies towards Uyghurs as genocide. (Photo: AFP)

China, which has been accused of ill treatment of its Uyghur minority, and its neighbor and ally Myanmar, which faces allegations of ethnic cleansing, have been named in a new US genocide report.

The State Department’s annual report to Congress on countries where there is risk of atrocities being committed named China and Myanmar along with Eritrea, Syria and South Sudan.

Myanmar diplomats in US and Switzerland refuse to return home after criticising military junta

South China Morning Post

29 Jun, 2021

• Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN, said the 11 diplomats had joined the civil disobedience movement following the Feburary 1 coup
• ‘The military [has] already charged me high treason … So I definitely cannot go back [to Myanmar],’ he said

Anti-coup protesters march in Pabedan township near Yangon. Photo: AP

Eleven Myanmar diplomats in the United States and Switzerland are creating a united front as they seek to remain in their host countries in protest against the country’s military junta, refusing to return home, the country’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday.

Myanmar ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun said the 11 are among around 20 diplomats in seven countries who have joined the civil disobedience movement amid the continued use of violence against protesters by Myanmar security forces since the February 1 military coup.

Bangladesh abstains from voting against Myanmar

Prothom Alo 

Prothom Alo English Desk

Published: 20 Jun 2021, 

The United Nations logo is seen on a window in an empty hallway at United Nations headquarters during the 75th annual UN General Assembly high-level debate in New York, US, on 21 September 2020Reuters

The UN General Assembly on Friday took a rare step of calling on member states to “prevent the flow of arms” into Myanmar, which is a part of a non-binding resolution condemning the military coup in the violence-wracked country.

The resolution -- which did not go so far as to call for a global arms embargo -- also demands that the military “immediately stop all violence against peaceful demonstrators,” reports Reuters.

It was approved by 119 countries, with 36 abstaining including China, Myanmar’s main ally. Only one country, Belarus, voted against it. Bangladesh also abstained from voting.

Why the US Should Recognize the Rohingya Genocide The Biden administration has a chance to reasse

THE I DIPLOMAT
Michael P. Scharf, Paul R. Williams, and Milena Sterio
June 01, 2021

The Biden administration has a chance to reassert the United States’ moral authority on human rights.

Justice delayed is justice denied. As lawyers who have advised nearly every international criminal and hybrid tribunal, as well as over two dozen peace negotiations around the world, we have seen firsthand the consequences of ignoring atrocities in the name of preserving peace or alliances.

 

Minara Begum, 22, in her shelter at Balukhali

refugee camp near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, March 5, 2018.

Credit: UN Women/Allison Joyce

The Biden administration is faced with an historic opportunity. By labeling the atrocities committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine State as genocide, the Biden administration has a chance to reassert the United States’ moral authority on human rights and to lead the international community on issues of justice and accountability. The Biden administration should speak out firmly and clearly in favor of holding Myanmar and the individual perpetrators accountable for “the crime of all crimes.”

Biden Administration Moves to Protect Myanmar Nationals Residing in US

VOA

By Aline Barros
May 25, 2021

FILE - Myanmar soldiers walk along a street during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 28, 2021.

WASHINGTON - Nearly four months after a coup in Myanmar triggered a prolonged period of violence and upheaval in the country, the Biden administration has designated Myanmar nationals for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing many in the U.S. to be shielded from deportation and obtain work permits.

The registration period is set from May 25 to November 22. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that about 1,600 Burmese nationals "continuously residing" in the U.S. since March 11 now can obtain protected status.

Myanmar diaspora in US rally, raise funds in battle against coup

Aljazeera

By Andrew Nachemson
24 May 2021

People of Myanmar descent in US demand firmer action against military leaders’ February power grab and recognition of civilian government.

People of Myanmar descent across the US have rallied to show their support for the anti-coup movement back home [File: Frederic J Brown/AFP]

New York, United States – A student leader during the 1988 uprisings against Myanmar’s previous military dictatorship, Nay Myint was imprisoned and tortured for his efforts.

“I gave a speech to the public about democracy, human rights and freedom. Shortly after, the military intelligence arrested me and then they gave me a life sentence. I stayed in the prison for 15 years, 10 years in solitary confinement,” he told Al Jazeera.

US Announces Increase in Aid to Rohingya

VOA

VOA News
May 18, 2021

FILE - Rohingya refugees walk in the market area inside a refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh, April 6, 2021.

The United States says it is providing new assistance to Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority, many of whom have fled violence for neighboring Bangladesh or have been internally displaced.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled violence and persecution in Myanmar in 2017.

The $155 million in additional funds will be used to sustain “critical efforts to support Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh and internally displaced Rohingya and other affected people in Burma.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press release.

“Our assistance will help meet the immediate needs of the nearly 900,000 refugees in Bangladesh who fled from horrific violence in Burma’s Rakhine State, including women and children,” Blinken said.

OP-ED: A wake-up call for Bangladesh?

Dhaka Tribune

Nisath Salsabil Rob
April 25th, 2021

In handling the Rohingya crisis, it is time Bangladesh prepared for the long haul

In the wee hours of February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s military -- the Tatmadaw -- declared a one-year state of emergency and arrested democratically elected leaders of the ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), including Myanmar’s former de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, thereby putting a nail on the coffin of Myanmar’s fledgling democracy.

The case for a US missile strike on Myanmar

ASIA TIMES

ANTHONY DAVIS

APRIL 21, 2021

US could not unilaterally invoke 'R2P' to intervene in Myanmar's crisis but that doesn't mean the military option is off the table

Protesters hold signs relating to "R2P", or the "Responsibility to Protect" principle that the international community is justified in taking action against a state that is deemed to have failed to protect its population from atrocities, as they take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, April 12, 2021. Photo: AFP / Stringer

BANGKOK – Nearly 80 days and 800 deaths after the military coup of February 1, two divergent trendlines have emerged to define the future contours of Myanmar’s crisis: brutal reassertion of control by the military junta over a political and economic wasteland; or descent into civil war pitting the junta against a nascent coalition of forces fighting for federal democracy.

S Jaishankar, US Secretary Of State Discuss Security Issues In Afghanistan, Myanmar

NDTV

All IndiaPress 

Trust of India
April 20, 2021

Antony Blinken spoke with Mr Jaishankar to reaffirm the importance of the US-India relationship and cooperation on regional security issues, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to mutual support for restoration of democracy in Myanmar

Washington: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Tony Blinken on Monday discussed on phone bilateral and regional issues including Afghanistan, Myanmar, and climate change.

"Had a warm and productive conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to reaffirm the importance of the US-India relationship. We discussed regional security issues of mutual concern in Afghanistan and Burma and global challenges such as climate change," Mr Blinken said in a tweet.

US, China clash at UN meeting on combatting racism

NATIONAL HERALD

PTI
Published: 20 Mar 2021

The United States accused China on Friday of committing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uighur Muslims and other minorities.

The United States accused China on Friday of committing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uighur Muslims and other minorities, and China accused the US of discrimination, hatred and even savage murder of people of African and Asian descent.

The clash came at the UN General Assembly's commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and was sparked by one line in the speech by US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield, who talked about being a descendent of slaves, growing up in the segregated South, and surviving racism including being called an N-word.

US urges action by UN Security Council on Myanmar coup

the journal.ie
11 April 2021

 

The US wants the UN to issue a resolution to pressure the military junta to restore democracy.

THE UNITED STATES yesterday demanded swift action from the UN Security Council on Myanmar amid a push for a resolution to pressure the military junta to restore democracy.

“The military needs to feel the cost associated with its horrific actions. The stability and prosperity of the region depends on swift action,” US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a Security Council meeting.

US slaps additional sanctions on Myanmar over coup

THE HILL
TAL AXELROD -
04/08/21

© Getty Images

The Biden administration slapped additional sanctions on Myanmar on Thursday over the military junta’s February coup.

The Treasury Department said in a statement that its Office of Foreign Assets Control is instituting penalties on Myanma Gems Enterprise (MGE), a government-owned firm that oversees all gemstone activities in the country, a lucrative industry that helps fund the military regime.

“Today’s action highlights Treasury’s commitment to denying the Burmese military sources of funding, including from key state-owned enterprises throughout Burma,” said Andrea Gacki, director of the Office of the Foreign Assets Control, using another name for the country. “The United States will continue to work tirelessly, including with partners throughout the region and the world, to support the restoration of democracy and rule of law in Burma and to bring accountability to those who seek to undermine these values.”

US Targets Myanmar’s Junta-Controlled Jade Sector in New Sanctions

Radio Free Asia

Richard Finney

2021-04-08

A buyer checks a jade stone during the annual Myanmar Jade, Gems, and Pearl Emporium in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, Sept. 16, 2019. AFP

The United States on Thursday announced new sanctions targeting the country’s multi-billion dollar jade industry, a sector long controlled by Myanmar military figures responsible for ousting the country’s democratically elected government in a coup on Feb. 1.

The move follows economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and UK at the end of March on other military companies controlled by the junta, and aims to block the flow of revenue supporting junta leaders and military operations in Myanmar that have killed more than 600 civilian protesters to date.

US and UK ratchet up sanctions on Myanmar's military

 B B C

BBC News

Tim McDonald

26 March 2021

The US and UK have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's two military conglomerates in a move that significantly ratchets up pressure on the country's leadership.

Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL) control significant portions of Myanmar's economy, with interests across many of the country's major industries.

The US Treasury has now added the two companies to a blacklist, freezing any assets they have in the US and banning US individuals and businesses from trading with them.

The UK has imposed sanctions on MEHL.

"These actions will specifically target those who led the coup, the economic interests of the military, and the funding streams supporting the Burmese military's brutal repression," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. "They are not directed at the people of Burma.

United States Targets Burmese Military Forces for Repression of Pro-Democracy Protests

U.S. Embassy in Burma
March 22, 2021

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two individuals and two entities connected to the Burmese military and its violent repression of pro-democracy protests. Treasury took these actions in response to the Burmese military’s continued campaign of violence and intimidation against peaceful protesters and civil society.

“The Burmese security forces’ lethal violence against peaceful protesters must end,” said Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea M. Gacki. “Treasury will continue to use the full range of our authorities to promote accountability for the actions of the Burmese military and police. We continue to stand with the people of Burma.”

nited States: Biden Administration Imposes Sanctions On Burma Following Military Coup

JONES DAY

24 March 2021
by Sean T. Boyce , Michael Gurdak , Lindsey Nelson , Schuyler J. Schouten and D. Grayson Yeargin, Jones Day

As part of the U.S. government response, the Department of the Treasury imposes sanctions on certain Burmese persons, and the Department of Commerce heightens export restrictions relating to Burma.

In response to the military coup in Burma (Myanmar), President Biden issued Executive Order 14041, "Blocking Property with Respect to the Situation in Burma," authorizing sanctions against, among others, foreign persons determined to be a leader or official of the military or security forces of Burma, or a leader or official of the Government of Burma on or after February 2, 2021.

US must confront the coup in Myanmar

TRIBUNE HERALD

Monday, March 22, 2021

Myanmar emerged from years of military rule to a form of democracy over the last decade.

While generals still held ultimate power, Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy Party led the civilian government and won November’s national election in a landslide. But before Myanmar’s Parliament met on Feb. 1, military rulers seized control in a coup, arresting Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders on flimsy charges as they plunged the country back into authoritarianism.

But apparently the military of Myanmar, also called Burma, didn’t anticipate the depth of citizen opposition. For weeks, throngs from all walks of society have braved security forces in peaceful protests demanding a return to democratic rule.

The regime responded with relative restraint at first but has reverted to brutality. A bloody crackdown has killed at least 126, including 51 shot (many in the head) just this last weekend. More than 2,000 have reportedly been arrested, with many enduring torture.

US, EU, Britain Impose Sanctions on Chinese Officials Over Uyghurs

VOA News
Updated March 22, 2021

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell speaks to media before a EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, on March 22, 2021.

The United States, the European Union and Britain have imposed sanctions on several Chinese officials for human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang province.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. sanctions were taken in solidary with U.S. allies.

“As part of their actions today, our partners also sanctioned human rights abusers in connection with the atrocities occurring in Xinjiang and other countries,” Blinken said in a statement Monday.