UK bans Burmese state-owned gem company International

The British government on Monday (17) announced new sanctions aimed at financing the coup military in Myanmar, which has imposed measures against a state-controlled gem company.

Sanctions imposed on Myanmar’s James Enterprise (MGE) will “snatch away an important source of funding for the Council” for the multi-billion dollar gem trade, the UK Foreign Office has said.

“The Burmese military junta continues to annihilate democracy and attack its own people with brutal brutality,” Dominic Robb, the British diplomat, was quoted as saying in the statement.

“We are working with our allies to impose sanctions that will affect access to military resources and support the return of democracy,” he said.

The sanctions, known as property freezes, were carried out jointly with the United States and Canada, following recent meetings between the presidents of the G7 and ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The United States, which had already imposed MGE sanctions last month, on Monday announced new measures against 13 Burmese officials.

The UK has already granted permission to several members of the military junta over the past few months, including the commander-in-chief of the Burmese army, Min Aung Hlung, for his role in the coup.

On February 1, the Myanmar military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, abruptly ending 10 years of democracy in the country.

Since then, it has violently suppressed protests organized almost daily.