Shortly after the military coup in Burma on the first of the month, President Joe Biden threatened to reinstate sanctions against Burma; he formally announced on Wednesday (10) that he would sanction the Burmese military leaders and their families for staging the coup, and called on the Burmese junta to relinquish power and release Aung San Suu Kyi and other detainees.
Biden announced Wednesday that he had signed two executive orders on the sanctions, and that the U.S. would set the first round of sanctions this week, and would impose tough export controls on Burma. He also said the U.S. will freeze $1 billion (about $7.8 billion) in U.S. assets that benefit the Burmese government, but will maintain aid to the country’s health care, civil society and direct benefits to the people.
Before Biden announced the sanctions, Burma’s anti-coup demonstrations continued during the day on Wednesday in the capital Naypyidaw and Yangon, among other places, with hundreds of civil servants joining the strike. Foreign media reported that some protesters held up signs reading “Prepare to demonstrate like Hong Kong,” while others wore yellow helmets and eye patches, among other equipment.
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