Britain sanctions firms for supplying Myanmar military

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Tuesday sanctioned two companies and two individuals it said had supplied Myanmar’s air force with aviation fuel used to carry out bombing campaigns against the Asian country’s own citizens.

Britain’s measures are coordinated with similar sanctions against Myanmar from the United States, Canada and Australia and coincide with the two-year anniversary of a military coup that ousted Myanmar’s elected government.

“Our sanctions are meticulously targeted to deliver maximum impact, reducing the military’s access to finance, fuel, arms and equipment,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.

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

All those sanctioned by Britain are linked with an entity known as the Asia Sun group, which is involved in supplying aviation fuel to the Myanmar military.

The sanctioned firms and individuals will be subject to asset freezes – which will prevent UK citizens and businesses from dealing with them. The two individuals will also face UK travel bans, the government said.

Britain has so far sanctioned 18 individuals and 30 entities from Myanmar since the coup, the foreign office said.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)