David Cameron/Photo:AFP
Mizzima
As the third anniversary of the February 2021 coup in Myanmar approaches, Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) has called on British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to do more to cut off sources of revenue to the Burmese military.
According to BCUK, the British government is falling far behind allies such as Canada, the USA and the EU in sanctioning some of the main sources of money for the Burmese military.
The European Union and the USA have imposed sanctions on the military-controlled Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), through which revenue from gas sales reaches the military.
The European Union, Canada and the USA have sanctioned the two state-owned military-controlled mining enterprises which provide revenue to the military from sales of minerals and rare earths.
The USA has sanctioned the Myanma Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB), through which the military receives international revenue from gas, gems, minerals and other exports.
In contrast, the UK has not implemented any of these sanctions.
BCUK says more pressure is vital as the people of Burma continue to resist military rule.
The generals are becoming ever more desperate and brutal as they try to cling on to power, bombing homes, schools, hospitals, churches and mosques. Two million people have been forced to flee their homes, 20,000 political prisoners are in jail, according to BCUK.
There is no single thing that the British government can do to cut revenue to the Burmese military. It is the combination of sanctions and other measures that will have an impact, says BCUK.
That is why David Cameron must use every opportunity there is to cut off the supply of money, arms and equipment to the military.
Zoya Phan, Programme Director of BCUK said: “Delays in sanctioning the main sources of revenue to the Burmese military mean more money and bombs for the Burmese military. It makes no sense that the UK has not yet joined the EU and USA in sanctioning some of the main sources of revenue for the Burmese military.”
