UK sanctions Myanmar aviation fuel businesses(Press release-31/01/2023)

31 January 2023

Companies supplying the Myanmar Air Force with the aviation fuel to carry out its relentless bombing campaign against innocent people have been targeted by the UK in the latest round of sanctions, announced to coincide with the second anniversary of the brutal coup that ousted Myanmar’s elected government.

Two companies and 2 individuals, all associated with what is known as the AsiaAsia Central Asia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Eastern Asia China China–Hong Kong China–Macao China–Taiwan Japan Mongolia North Korea South Korea Southern Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan British Indian Ocean Territory India Iran Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka South-Eastern Asia Brunei Cambodia East Timor Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Western Asia Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Cyprus Georgia Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen Sun group, and integral to the aviation fuel industry in Myanmar, have been sanctioned. The group supplies fuel to the Myanmar Air Force enabling its barbaric air raiding campaign in an attempt to maintain power, killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands of Myanmar’s people in the process.

The first of February 2023 marks 2 years since the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically-elected government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and installed a military regime. Since then, they have used violence and atrocities to maintain power and supress any opposition voices.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Our sanctions are meticulously targeted to deliver maximum impact, reducing the military’s access to finance, fuel, arms and equipment.

The junta must be held to account for their brutal crackdown on opposition voices, terrorising air raids and brazen human rights violations.

The UK has led a strong, coordinated international response to support the people of Myanmar, their democratic demands and right to fundamental freedoms.

The UK has worked with partners including Canada, the United States and the European Union since the coup to impose coordinated and targeted sanctions against the military regime, its business interests and those who facilitate and profit from its brutal campaign.

Since the coup, the UK has now sanctioned 18 individuals and 30 entities, targeting those responsible for the coup, the subsequent violence, and those facilitating it. These sanctions raise the cost for those aligned with and supporting the regime’s campaign of terror. The UK will continue to use economic statecraft to restrict the military’s access to finance and arms and increase the pressure on them to engage with calls for a return to democracyDemocracy It is a power word. power rests with the ordinary Citizens. Only educated people understand power. A corrupt or controlled court system can cover failure of it. The religious concept is incompatible with it. Promise to spend more from the public treasury moves to Dictatorship..

As part of its commitment to a free and open Indo PacificPacific Australia and New Zealand Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands New Zealand Norfolk Island Melanesia Fiji New Caledonia Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Micronesia Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru Northern Mariana Islands Palau Polynesia American Samoa Cook Islands French Polynesia Niue Pitcairn Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Wallis and Futuna, the UK has led the international community’s work to support a peaceful resolution in Myanmar and a return to democracy; and pushing for progress towards accountability and justice. It has also played a key role in calling on countries around the world to end the sale and transfer of arms and equipment which facilitate the military’s atrocities.

At the United NationsUNO The main bodies of the United Nations are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established under the UN Charter when the Organization was founded in 1945. It has 193 members., the UK successfully passed a Security Council Resolution on the crisis, the first of its kind, to apply further pressure on the military junta to end its violence. It also strongly supports ASEANASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Members: Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam’s Five Point Consensus, which demands the military immediately ceases its violence and engages in constructive dialogue with all parties.

Background

Those sanctioned today are:

a-Asia Sun Trading Company Limited and Cargo Link Company Limited, both part of what is known as the Asia Sun group which dominates the aviation fuel sector in Myanmar and are involved in the transfer of aviation fuel to the Myanmar Air Force

b-Zaw Min Tun: Director and sole shareholder of Asia Sun Trading

c-Win Kyaw Kyaw Aung: former Director and shareholder of Asia Sun Trading

Myanmar is the region’s most desperate humanitarian crisis. Following the coup, over 17.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including over 1.5 million displaced, of which more than half a million are children.

Humanitarian access is extremely challenging. The UK has led international efforts to channel resources to non-governmental organisations based in Myanmar which are on the frontline, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

Asset freeze

An asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person. UK financial sanctions apply to all persons within the territory and territorial sea of the UK and to all UK persons, wherever they are in the world. It also prevents funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person.

Travel ban

A travel ban means that the designated person must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom, providing the individual is an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971.