Mizzima

The Myanmar Campaign Network (MCN) has requested the Australian government impose tougher sanctions against the Myanmar military regime.

In their open letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong on 2 October, the MCN commended Australia for joining its democratic allies in coordinated efforts to impose targeted sanctions on entities and individuals crucial to financing and sustaining the junta's actions.

The MCN is an Australian national coalition that was established following the 2021 coup in Myanmar. It is composed with human rights organisations, international aid NGOs, Myanmar diaspora organisations, trade unions and faith-based organisations.

The coalition’s open letter, signed by 414 organizations, includes the proposed sanctions against  state-owned enterprises,  banking sector and cronies, arms manufacture and procurement, aviation supply chain, junta leadership and Union Election Commission, as these entities and  individuals are directly or indirectly responsible for the loss of over 4,000 lives, 25,000 detentions, and widespread reports of torture and conflict-related sexual violence, 86,000 burned homes, 1.9 million internally displaced persons, both within Myanmar and as refugees to neighbouring countries, and the worsening the human rights and humanitarian crisis.

The press release MCN on this open letter also said that despite the Australian Government’s implementation of targeted sanctions on 16 individuals and two entities in February
2023, the coalition highlights that these sanctions represent only two percent of the international sanctions imposed on Myanmar.

In conclusion, the coalition suggests the Australian Government take principled steps to address the Myanmar crisis effectively, reaffirming Australia's commitment to these values as Australia can play a pivotal role in restoring democracy and alleviating suffering in Myanmar.