US mulls sanctions on Myanmar’s military
WASHINGTON/GENEVA: The international community built pressure on Myanmar’s military on Thursday as a top adviser to US President Joe Biden said Washington was considering “targeted sanctions” against the military regime while the UN Security Council “expressed deep concern” following the recent coup in the country and called for the immediate release of Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Biden administration is considering an executive order in response to the military takeover in Myanmar and among steps being looked at are targeted sanctions on individuals and on entities controlled by the military, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday.
Also, the UNSC said in a statement agreed by consensus, “The members of the Security Council emphasised the need for the continued support of the democratic transition in Myanmar.”
Earlier in the day, Myanmar’s generals ordered internet providers to restrict access to Facebook. The Southeast Asian nation was plunged back into direct military rule on Monday as Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders were detained in a series of dawn raids.
The coup sparked international condemnation and fears the military will drag 54 million people back to the decades of junta rule that turned Myanmar into one of Asia’s most impoverished and repressive nations.
With soldiers back on the streets of major cities, the takeover has so far not generated any mass pro-democracy street protests. But people have flocked to social media to voice opposition and share plans for civil disobedience - especially on Facebook.
“We have digital power... so we’ve been using this since day one to oppose the military junta,” said activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi, who’s behind a so-called “Civil Disobedience Movement” fanning out across social media platforms.
Telenor, one of the country’s main telecoms providers, confirmed on Thursday that authorities had ordered it to “temporarily block” Facebook access.
Facebook confirmed access “is currently disrupted for some people” and urged authorities to restore connectivity. Netblocks, which monitors internet outages around the world, said the disruptions were also affecting Facebook-owned apps such as Instagram and Whatsapp.