Yesterday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced sanctions against 49 people from Russia, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Burma because of their links to human rights violations. The sanctions mean these individuals would be banned from the UK, and any assets they have in the UK would be frozen.
Min Aung Hlaing, head of the Burmese military, and his deputy, Soe Win were included on the list.
In the case of Russia and Saudi Arabia, these sanctions can be an effective tool, but in the case of Burma, they miss the target. At Burma Campaign UK we now find ourselves in the unusual position of criticising sanctions against leaders of the Burmese military.
Min Aung Hlaing and Soe Win won’t have any assets in the UK to freeze. In effect, all the British government has done is ban Min Aung Hlaing from talking holidays in the UK. That is not an effective response to what the British government describes as torture, massacre, systematic rape and forced (slave) labour.
Min Aung Hlaing can’t take holidays in the UK, but British companies can still do business with the military he controls. For example, one British company, Portia Management Services, is managing a military-owned port in Yangon, earning millions of pounds a year for the military. They are helping to fund genocide, and Dominic Raab is refusing to stop them.
