WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday that Washington should target the state-run Myanmar oil and gas company and a state-owned bank with sanctions.
Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, a representative of elected lawmakers who oppose Myanmar’s military junta, also warned that the crisis triggered by a Feb. 1 coup in the Southeast Asian nation threatened regional security.
The Biden administration has denounced the coup and imposed sanctions on the generals who led it as well as some of their family members and businesses that provide them with revenue.
Gallery: On the line of separation in eastern Ukraine (Reuters)
A militant of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) walks in a trench at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces in the settlement of Donetskyi in Luhansk Region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces is seen at fighting positions on the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels in the village of Pisky in Donetsk region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces is seen at fighting positions on the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels in the village of Pisky in Donetsk region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces walks at fighting positions on the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels in the village of Pisky in Donetsk region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces stands next to dogs at fighting positions on the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels in the village of Pisky in Donetsk region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits positions of armed forces near the frontline with Russian-backed separatists during his working trip in Donbass region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
A militant of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces in the settlement of Donetskyi in Luhansk Region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) stand guard at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces in the settlement of Donetskyi in Luhansk Region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) are seen at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces in the settlement of Donetskyi in Luhansk Region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) stands guard at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces in the settlement of Donetskyi in Luhansk Region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) is seen at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces in the settlement of Donetskyi in Luhansk Region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces holds a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels in the village of Pisky in Donetsk region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces stands guard at fighting positions on the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels near the town of Zolote in Luhansk Region, Ukraine April 7, 2021. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
Service members of the Ukrainian armed forces use periscopes while observing the area at fighting positions on the line of separation near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 7, 2021. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces walks with a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov
A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) holds a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces south of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) holds a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces south of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) uses equipment to observe the area at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces south of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 2, 2021. The upper sign reads: “Watch out. Sniper”. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces walks with a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 7, 2021. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces cleans a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces is seen at fighting positions on the line of separation near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 3, 2021. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces uses binoculars while observing the area at fighting positions on the line of separation near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov
A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) points a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces south of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) stands guard at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces south of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) points a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces south of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) points a weapon at fighting positions on the line of separation from the Ukrainian armed forces south of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Local resident Roman, 48, is seen at the ruins of his house destroyed during a military conflict between militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Ukrainian armed forces, in Donetsk, Ukraine March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Local resident Angela, 54, stands as her goats graze near her house in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) are seen at frontline positions located on the troops contact line with Ukrainian forces in the village of Zholobok in Luhansk Region, Ukraine March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) is seen at frontline positions located on the troops contact line with Ukrainian forces in the village of Zholobok in Luhansk Region, Ukraine March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A militant of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) is seen at frontline positions located on the troops contact line with Ukrainian forces in the village of Zholobok in Luhansk Region, Ukraine March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) are seen at frontline positions located on the troops contact line with Ukrainian forces in the village of Zholobok in Luhansk Region, Ukraine March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) are seen at frontline positions located on the troops contact line with Ukrainian forces in the village of Zholobok in Luhansk Region, Ukraine March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
A service member of the Ukrainian armed forces uses binoculars while observing the area at fighting positions on the line of separation near the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 3, 2021. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov
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The Myanmar ambassador told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that as well as the military-run Myawaddy and Innwa banks, the United States should slap sanctions on the state-owned Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).
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MOGE operates offshore gas fields in joint ventures with international firms, including U.S.-based Chevron and France’s Total, while MFTB conducts transactions in foreign currencies for Myanmar’s government.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group says security forces have killed at least 766 civilians since the coup, which sparked nationwide protests.
Some pro-democracy activists have traveled to Myanmar’s mountainous borderlands to join armed groups fighting for ethnic autonomy, raising fears of a spiraling conflict.
“I wish to stress that Myanmar is not just witnessing another major setback to democracy, but also the crisis is threatening the regional peace and security,” said Kyaw Moe Tun, who dramatically broke with the military junta in February, but has retained the country’s seat at the United Nations.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
