Burma: Arms Trade

(asked on 4th October 2019) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy (a) to impose sanctions on companies linked to the military of Myanmar and (b) to take diplomatic steps to encourage other countries to impose such sanctions.


Answered by
Heather Wheeler Portrait
Heather Wheeler
This question was answered on 8th October 2019

We agree that the interests of the Myanmar military and companies linked to it are deeply entrenched across Myanmar's economy. But targeted sanctions on specific commercial entities are difficult, as those entities are not always wholly controlled by the military. Any decision to impose sanctions on such entities would have to be carefully considered. Targeting companies or whole sectors could disrupt Myanmar’s financial system, harm economic development across Myanmar and inadvertently harm vulnerable people. We continue to discuss with international partners whether we can add further targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations in a way that minimises the impact on the people of Myanmar.

Reticulating Splines