The FinancialExpress (Bangladesh) 14 September 2023

The UN human rights expert for Myanmar has called on theUnited States to further tighten sanctions on the country’s military rulers toinclude their main revenue source, the state oil and gas enterprise.

UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, a former member of the USCongress, on Wednesday also said it was vital for Washington to at leastmaintain levels of humanitarian support for victims of the junta inside andoutside Myanmar.

Andrews told a hearing of the US Congress’s Tom Lantos HumanRights Commission he was “alarmed” by reports that some donors, including theUS, might reduce support for Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar and said aJoint Response Plan that includes food rations for Rohingya children inBangladesh was only 32 percent funded so far this year.

Andrews praised Washington for imposing sanctions on theMyanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank in June,but said more needed to be done, reports Reuters.

“We need to have more sanctions imposed... I urge the US tojoin the European Union and immediately impose sanctions on the junta’s singlelargest source of revenue, the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise,” Andrews said.

“If you can stop the money, you can cut their ability tocontinue these atrocities,” he said referring to civilian deaths at the handsof the military.

Andrews also urged Washington to work with other countriesto block the junta’s access to weapons.

Last month, Washington expanded its sanctions againstMyanmar to include foreign companies or individuals helping the junta toprocure jet fuel it uses to launch air strikes, while estimating that themilitary had killed more than 3,900 civilians since taking power in a 2021coup.

In January, the United States targeted the managing directorand deputy managing director of the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise withsanctions, but has yet to go further against the firm, despite the urgings ofrights groups and dissidents.

Myanmar military officials have played down the impact ofsanctions and say their air strikes target insurgents.

Andrews said in a May report that Myanmar’s military hadimported at least $1 billion in arms and other material since the coup andcalled out Russia and China for aiding its campaign to crush its opposition.