Biden announces sanctions against military leaders of Myanmar
US President Joe Biden has announced a series of sanctions on the military leaders of Myanmar in response to their recent action to overthrow a democratically elected government in a coup. "The US government is taking steps to prevent the generals from improperly having access to the $1 billion in Burmese government funds held in the United States," Biden said on Wednesday.
We are freezing US assets that benefit Burmese government: Biden
"We will identify the first round of targets this week. We will impose strong export controls. We are freezing US assets that benefit the Burmese government while maintaining our support for healthcare groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly," Biden said.
Biden demanded military to respect the will of the people
As protests grow, violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable, Biden said. "The people of Burma are making their voices heard. And the world is watching," he said. In his first public address on Myanmar, Biden demanded that the military must relinquish the power it seized and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in their November 8th election.
We ask military to release the democratic political leaders: Biden
Last week, the US helped bring together the UN Security Council, which issued a strong statement in support of Burmese democracy. This week, the administration will use its renewed engagement on the Human Rights Council to strengthen the world's commitment to human rights in Burma. "Today, I again call on the Burmese military to immediately release the democratic political leaders and activists," Biden said.
Burmese military's actions are unacceptable: Senator Menendez
Biden said that the assault on Burma's transition to democracy remains an issue of deep bipartisan concern. Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed Biden's announcement. "There must be real consequences if Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders are not immediately freed and allowed to resume their rightful place as the head of the civilian government," he said.
Peaceful demonstrations for democratic rights will be supported: Price
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "As protests grow, Burma's military leaders need to know that violence against those who peacefully assert their democratic rights will not be tolerated. US will take note of those who stand with the people of Burma at this moment of crisis." "The continued demonstrations indicate what Burmese people's aspirations for democracy are. We stand with them," he said.
