Michael Hernandez
25 March 2022•Update: 26 March 2022
WASHINGTON
The US sanctioned five individuals and five entities in Myanmar on Friday after concluding that the country's military committed "genocide" against its Rohingya population.
“Brutality and oppression have become trademarks of the Burmese military regime’s rule,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
“Treasury is committed to holding accountable those who are responsible for the ongoing violence and repression. We will continue to support the people of Burma, including those who are courageously standing in opposition to the military,” he added
Those designated include Myanmar's 66th Light Infantry Division, including its leaders Brigadier-General Ko Ko Oo, and and Major-General Zaw Hein.
Three individuals identified as arms dealers -- Naing Htut Aung, Aung Hlaing Oo and Sit Taing Aung -- were sanctioned for allegedly providing weapons and equipment to Myanmar's military, which is formally known as the Tatmadaw.
Naing Htut Aung's International Gateways Group of Company Limited, and Aung Hlaing Oo's Myanmar Chemical & Machinery were also placed under US sanctions.
Htoo Group of Companies, and its subsidiary Asia Green Development Bank Ltd, were sanctioned for being owned by Tay Za, who was sanctioned on Jan. 31.
The economic penalties come three days after the US formally concluded that the Tatmadaw is responsible for crimes against Myanmar's minority Muslim Rohingya that constitute genocide.
The US determination comes as the UN's top court resumed in February its proceedings to determine if Myanmar is responsible for genocide.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been hearing the case, which was brought by Gambia, and accuses Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention in its brutal crackdown on the Rohingya community, for over two years.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has provided Gambia with information to bolster its case, which he said is an effort to "lay the foundation for future accountability."
In January 2020, the ICJ imposed “provisional measures,” ordering the end to genocidal practices against the Rohingya.
Myanmar was being represented in the case by former State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was overthrown in the Tatmadaw's February 2021 coup, and has been jailed by the junta on various charges.
The military takeover has triggered mass protests in Myanmar in which junta forces have killed more than 1,500 people in a crackdown on dissent, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group.
