Joe Biden says US working on sanctions against Myanmar military

US President Joe Biden on Sunday said his administration is working on sanctions against Myanmar’s junta over the surge in violence against civilians that followed immediately after the coup on February 1. President Biden, while talking to reporters in Delaware, called the violence “terrible” and “outrageous”, adding his administration is working on a plan to react to the grave situation. Saturday witnessed one of the bloodiest days since the coup as more than 100 protesters were reportedly killed in violence involving security forces.

“It’s terrible. It’s absolutely outrageous. And based on the reporting I’ve gotten, an awful lot of people have been killed totally unnecessarily,” President Joe Biden said at Delaware Air National Guard Base before returning to Washington. When asked about the sanctions, the Democratic leader said, “Well, we’re working on that now”. 

On Saturday, Myanmar’s military opened fire on protesters, killing at least 114 people, including children. The killing continued on Sunday as security forces opened fire on a group of funeral-goers, who were using the opportunity to demonstrate resistance to the junta. According to reports, the military also bombed several villages near the Thai border, killing at least three and injuring several others. The military allegedly conducted airstrikes in the southeastern Karen state, which is controlled by an armed ethnic group called KNU (Karen National Union). 

Myanmar's coup

Myanmar’s military conducted a coup on February 1, overthrowing the government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The military arrested State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and several other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party hours before the newly-elected parliamentarians were scheduled to take the oath of office. 

The military accused the government of engaging in illegal activities, including election fraud and corruption. However, experts suggest that the military orchestrated the coup because it feared that Suu Kyi’s government would reduce the number of seats reserved for the Army in the national parliament after winning the 2020 election with a landslide. Suu Kyi had earlier promised to slowly end the reservation for the military, which takes 25% of the total seats in the parliament. 

Protests against the coup

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the military, demanding the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. After security forces failed to bring the widespread protests under control, the junta ordered the use of force against peaceful demonstrators, killing more than a hundred people since February and arresting over a thousand others. The military has also detained several human rights activists, pro-democracy advocates, journalists, and politicians since the coup occurred earlier last month.

(Image Credit: AP)