The National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) Welcomes the United States of America (USA) Sanctions in Coordination with Canada and the United Kingdom (UK), Sanctions against Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), Myanmar’s Genocidal Military Officials and Their Supporters

We wholeheartedly welcome the coordinated actions taken by the United States, in cooperation with Canada and the United Kingdom. These sanctions against Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), three entities, and five individuals associated with Myanmar’s genocidal military dictatorship are a pivotal step in degrading the brutal junta’s capacity to procure a substantial arsenal of weapons to perpetrate atrocities and crimes against humanity against the people of Myanmar.

Since the attempted military coup in 2021, the brutal military junta has inflicted immense suffering upon the people of Myanmar. They have killed nearly 5,000 civilians and unlawfully arrested almost 25,000 civilians, including prominent figures such as Myanmar President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Pro-democracy leaders have been executed, and nearly 90,000 homes, including hospitals, schools, and places of worship, have been destroyed. This has resulted in more than 2 million people becoming homeless and displaced, with over 18 million people in dire need of lifesaving assistance and over 45 million people pushed below the poverty line. These sanctions are instrumental in denying the genocidal military access to the finances and resources required to commit these crimes against humanity.

Myanmar’s natural resources belong to the people of Myanmar and are intended for the nation’s development. However, the genocidal military generals have been using these natural resources for destruction and violence against the people of Myanmar. MOGE is a Myanmar state-owned enterprise involved in the extraction, production, and distribution of oil and gas in Myanmar. It manages significant offshore oil and gas fields through lucrative joint ventures with foreign entities. MOGE was previously designated by the European Union on February 21, 2022, and it remains the largest single source of foreign revenue for Burma’s genocidal military, providing hundreds of millions of dollars each year. This action will further limit the brutal junta’s access to U.S. dollars, which it utilises to procure weapons and other equipment from abroad. Consequently, this measure will curtail the junta’s ability to carry out violent attacks against its own people.

These sanctions also target three entities that have assisted the brutal military junta in its continued importation of arms, dual-use goods, and other materials, including from sanctioned entities in Russia and other countries. Since the coup, the total value of imports by the brutal military junta is estimated to exceed $1 billion. These imports have facilitated the military junta’s ongoing brutality against the people of Burma. The sanctions will serve to disrupt the junta’s military supply chain, complicate its ability to maintain and repair its weapons, and reduce the junta’s access to imported arms and materiel.

We are grateful that the sanctions include the Sky Royal Hero Company Limited, Suntac Technologies Company Limited, and Suntac International Trading Company Limited for their roles in supporting the brutal junta’s defense sectors, which, in turn, have contributed to more crimes against humanity against the people of Myanmar. The sanctions including Charlie Than, Kan Zaw, Swe Swe Aung, and Zaw Min, Maung Maung Aye for their roles in supporting the genocidal military junta’s crimes are vital. All the remaining companies, businesses, and individuals supporting these horrific acts of crimes against humanity against the people of Myanmar must be considered for the next round. We must hold them accountable for their acts of crimes against humanity.

We reiterate our deep gratitude to the USA, Canada, and the UK for imposing these sanctions. Simultaneously, we urgently call on the international community, free countries, and especially our neighbouring nations to aid in ending these crimes against humanity. We ask for your support in cutting off the genocidal military junta from international finance and weapons and assisting the Myanmar people’s revolution in transitioning from a genocidal military dictatorship to an inclusive federal democracy. This transformation aims to replace violence with peace, instability with stability, tyranny with freedom, and poverty with prosperity, not only for Myanmar but for the region and indeed for the entire world.

Sincerely,
Dr. Sasa

Union Minister
Ministry of International Cooperation
The National Unity Government
Republic of the Union of Myanmar