On 25 March 2022 the governments of the US, UK and Canada announced further sanctions on more Myanmar companies and individuals.

Among the newly sanctioned are arms dealers sanctioned by one or more of the countries. These include Aung Hlaing Oo and his company Myanmar Chemical & Machinery; Naing Htut Aung and his company, International Gateways Group; Dr Aung Moe Myint and his company, Dynasty International; and Sit Taing Aung and his company, Yatanarpon Aviation Support.

Miya Win International, a Myanmar arms trader with links to Austria and Germany, was sanctioned by the UK.

The US sanctioned the crony conglomerate Htoo Group, which provides arms and revenue to the terrorist military junta.

The junta’s air force chief, General Htun Aung, was sanctioned because he is responsible for the indiscriminate airstrikes terrorising communities across Myanmar.

The US also sanctioned a whole Myanmar Army division, the 66th Light Infantry Division (66 LID), a military unit based in Pyay Township. They were sanctioned “for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, the torture of any person in Burma or other serious human rights abuse in Burma”, according to the US government, which added: “Members of the 66 LID have been accused of carrying out the Christmas Eve massacre in 2021, where civilians in Pyay and Hpruso Townships of Karen State were captured, tortured, and killed, including some whom members of the military reportedly burned alive. Multiple reports have counted women, children, and humanitarian workers among the casualties.”

As well as owning Yatanarpon Aviation Support Sit Taing Aung is also Mexico’s Honorary Consul to Myanmar. Justice for Myanmar has called on the Mexican government to immediately remove him from his position.

On the sanctions, Justice for Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung said: “These new sanctions are an important step to disrupt the supply of arms and dual-use goods that continue to flow to the terrorist Myanmar military junta.

“However, more urgently needs to be done to stop the military’s indiscriminate airstrikes, shelling, killings, forced displacement, arbitrarily arrests, torture and rape.

“Oil and gas remain the junta’s biggest source of foreign revenue. We call on the US to follow the European Union in imposing targeted sanctions on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).

“The junta’s indiscriminate airstrikes are enabled by the undisrupted supply of jet fuel. We call for urgent sanctions to stop the sale of jet fuel to Myanmar.

“These sanctions yet again highlight the appalling inaction of regional democracies, which have failed to impose targeted sanctions in response to the military’s illegal attempted coup.

“We call on Australia, India, Japan and South Korea to stand with the people of Myanmar and impose sanctions to stop the flow of arms and funds to the junta.”