Human rights group urges for 'targeted sanctions' on coup generals in Myanmar

LONDON The international community will act fast and “impose targeted sanctions” on army generals who have staged a coup in Myanmar, a human rights organization said Monday. “The coup follows outrageous claims of election fraud during the country’s recent General Election, and this is now being used as a pretext for the state of emergency,” London-based Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) said in a statement. The BHRN said it “insists that the army immediately relinquish power, release all illegally detained politicians and activists, and that the international community immediately take steps to confront the issue.” “We have long known that the military sought to consolidate its power, and they have done so today by force with the world watching,” BHRN’s Executive Director Kyaw Win said. “These efforts completely demolish any democratic progress the country has made and serve only to protect and elevate the Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing.” He added: “The time for softball diplomacy is over, the international community must immediately impose targeted sanctions on the generals and their enterprises and should view these arrests as a continuation of the crimes which the Burmese military and its leadership are already being investigated for at the International Court of Justice.” The group said “the safety and security of minorities in Burma are clearly compromised and the military must be held accountable for any human rights violation against them.” Urging the re-establishment of internet and phone lines in the country, the BHRN said it is “deeply concerned for the safety and security of human rights defenders, journalists, and activists”, who are deprived of communication by the coup leaders. The international community must immediately institute “new strict sanctions and isolate the military as a pariah,” the BHRN added. “There must not be any compromise that would allow them to unconstitutionally maintain power or detain opposition political figures and activists. It must be made exceptionally clear that the Burmese army has crossed a line and that all options are on the table.” Early on Monday, the military declared a state of emergency hours after detaining State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other senior members of the ruling the NLD party. The coup took place hours before the first session of the country's new parliament was set to convene. The military claimed the coup was staged due to “election fraud” in the Nov. 8 polls, which resulted in the dominance of the NLD in the parliament.