On July 1, 2021 a bipartism group of twenty-one US congressional members sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the administration to work further in collaboration with financial institutions of US allied countries to identify and freeze the financial holdings or transactions of senior Myanmar military members and companies controlled by the military.
As an organization that has steadfastly championed targeted sanctions on the Myanmar military junta, Free Myanmar (FM) welcomes this action and extends its appreciation to those Members of Congress who signed this bipartisan letter. Following the coup in February 2021, the Myanmar military has been ruthlessly suppressing and waging a war on the citizens of Myanmar. Nearly a thousand people including children have been murdered by the military ‘s violence towards peaceful protesters and freedom activists. Thousands have been jailed and face torture. Hundreds of thousands more have been forced to flee their homes to live in the jungles as internally displaced or fled to refugee camps in the neighboring countries. With each day the junta stays in power, more and more blood is shed. It is critical for international community to join with the U.S. in blocking the regime, and its cronies from accessing any holdings outside of Myanmar and blocking them from the international financial system. The military and its enablers have systematically looted the country and stolen the wealth that rightly belongs to the people of Myanmar.
FM believes that this letter will continue to highlight the need for coordinated, international action to block regime assets and transactions. Important steps on this front have been undertaken and FM looks forward to continue assisting both Congress and the administration, not only in imposing more financial sanctions, but further internationalizing this approach to choke off the funds the junta uses to finance its war on the people of Myanmar.
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