UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday announced new Myanmar sanctions, saying these sanctions target a key business associate of the military junta for providing financial support and arms to the military.
Raab announced new sanctions against Myanmar businessman U Tay Za and his business empire Htoo Group, UK government said in a statement.
Htoo Group of Companies, of which U Tay Za is the founder and chairman, is a large business network that operates across the region, which contributed funds to the 2017 Rohingya clearance operations in Rakhine.
U Tay Za is associated with the military through his extensive links with the former and current junta regimes and has provided support for serious human rights violations in his role in assisting the military to procure arms.
"These sanctions make clear that the UK will take concrete measures to limit the junta's access to finance and economic resources, including by targeting business networks associated with the military regime," the statement said.
Raab said, "The military junta has shown no signs of halting its brutal attack on the people of Myanmar."
On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government in Myanmar and declared a year-long state of emergency, which was later extended until August 2023.
Along with our partners, the UK will continue to restrict the junta's access to finance and the supply of arms used to kill innocents, including children, and target those who support the junta's actions, the statement said.
Enforced with immediate effect, sanctions will freeze all UK assets held by Htoo Group and U Tay Za, as well as banning the business tycoon from entering the UK. Sanctions will also block others from providing funds or economic resources to both those designated.
"These sanctions follow recent efforts to ensure that the supply of arms to Myanmar is halted, and follow on from the Communique the UK secured at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' Meeting, that committed members to prevent the supply of arms and technical assistance to the military. In addition, on 18 June, the UK worked with partners to deliver a UN General Assembly Resolution which urged member states to prevent the flow of arms to Myanmar," the statement said.
Under the UK's presidency the G7 continues to call for a return to democracy, an end to the violence and the immediate adoption of the ASEAN 5-point consensus, including the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, it added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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