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EU expands sanctions on Myanmar military junta regime

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Feb 21, 2022, 11:25 PM IST
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File photo of Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. Photograph:(Reuters)

Story highlights

The latest move means that 65 Myanmar officials have till now been hit by EU asset freezes and visa bans. Number of firms under sanctions has come to 10

The European Union on Monday added 22 officials of Myanmar's military junta to the bloc's sanctions list. Sanctions have also been imposed on four companies tied to the military regime.

The latest move means that 65 Myanmar officials have till now been hit by EU asset freezes and visa bans. Number of firms under sanctions has come to 10.

Among those targeted by the latest round of sanctions were the ministers for investment, industry and information, officials at the election commission and senior members of military. 

Two state mining and energy firms were also added to the list, along with two private firms linked to the junta.   

"The European Union is deeply concerned by the continuing escalation of violence in Myanmar and the evolution towards a protracted conflict with regional implications," the bloc said in a statement.  

"Since the military coup, the situation has continuously and gravely deteriorated."

It repeated calls for "an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and an end to the disproportionate use of force and the state of emergency".

Myanmar has been in chaos, its economy paralysed, and more than 1,500 civilians have been killed in a military crackdown since the putsch in February 2021, according to a local monitoring group.

(With inputs from agencies)