Myanmar Coup: US suspends trade deal with military junta amid political unrest

The United States on Monday, March 29, suspended a trade deal with Myanmar until democracy is restored in the region. In a statement, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said, “The United States supports the people of Burma in their efforts to restore a democratically elected government”. She added, “The United States strongly condemns the Burmese security forces’ brutal violence against civilians. The killing of peaceful protestors, students, workers, labour leaders, medics, and children has shocked the conscience of the international community”.

As per Tai’s office, the US was immediately suspending “all US engagement with Burma under the 2013 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement”. This does not stop trade between the two nations. However, the US is imposing economic sanctions on Myanmar.

This comes after US President Joe Biden said that 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”. 

What is happening in Myanmar?

On Saturday, March 27,  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.

(Image Credits: AP)