EU threatens Myanmar’s military with sanctions after coup

The European Union has threatened Myanmar’s military with sanctions following its coup against the civilian government, echoing a warning by Washington.

“It is an unacceptable attempt to forcibly overturn the will of the people of Myanmar,” foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on behalf of the European Union on Tuesday.
“The European Union expects that the safety of the citizens of both Myanmar and of its member states be ensured at all times and will consider all options at its disposal to ensure that democracy prevails,” he said.

He called for an immediate end of the state of emergency and for the civilian government to be restored, arguing that the military’s actions were illegal.

US President Joe Biden on Monday called the seizure of power a “direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and the rule of law,” and said a review of possible sanctions was under way.

In Myanmar, the party of detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi demanded her immediate release and branded the coup a stain on the country’s history.

“Immediately free all those arrested,” the National League for Democracy (NLD) said in a statement posted to its official Facebook page.

Suu Kyi was detained in the capital Naypyitaw along with President Win Myint and other members of the government during early morning raids on Monday.

The military then declared a state of emergency, handing over power to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and announcing his new cabinet members late Monday. “We consider it a stain on the history of the state and the Tatmadaw,” the NLD statement added, using the local name for the military.
Brussels (dpa), 2 Feb, 2021