Statement welcoming the United States Government, Canada and the United Kingdom sanction on the MOGE and junta and calling for enforcements.

Date: 1 November, 2023

1.The Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar-CTUM welcomes and support the policy as well as the action of the announcement on 2023 October 31, by the Under Secretary of the US Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brain E, Nelson where he expressed that the sanctions on MOGE and related Junta entities in coordination with Canada and the United Kingdom was to “maintains our collective pressure on Burma’s military and denies the regime access to arms and supplies necessary to commit its violent acts,”

2.CTUM also notes that the Under Secretary continued that “ MOGE was previously designated by the European Union on February 21, 2022, and remains the largest single source of foreign revenue for Burma’s military regime, providing hundreds of millions of dollars each year. OFAC’s action today builds on previous designation actions against MOGE leadership and seeks to further restrict the regime’s access to U.S. dollars, which it uses to procure weapons and other equipment from abroad. Just like the governments of the USA, Canada and U.K we also believe that this action will limit the regime’s ability to carry out violent attacks against its own citizens.

3.CTUM also would like to strongly request for enforcement actions by all the three governments to achieve the objective of restricting the regimes access to US dollars. A good example is where the UOB Bank of Singapore stopped accepting the Myanmar Airways accounts and the Sonali Bank of Bangladesh stopped all financial transactions with the sanctioned MFTB and MICB which has thrown the regime into a chaotic mode where they started arresting traders of fuel, gold, rice and their own people.

4.This sanction on the MOGE including the service providers, the insurance companies, if enforced through the respective sanctions regulations of the OFAC and the UK OFSI regulations are sure to bring the regime to its knees.

5.CTUM also calls upon the Governments of the Asia Pacific region to study the difference between the speed, scope of impacts, unity of the Myanmar Spring revolution with the previous movements. And, the fact that inspite the façade of being tenacious. the regime is loosing ground in battles on the ground, its choice of struggle. We call upon the Governments to advice the Banks, Insurers, Financial Institutes NOT work or support a loosing side with atrocious records.

Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar – CTUM