The EU on Monday added eight officials from Myanmar's junta and three firms linked to the military to its sanctions blacklist over the country's February coup and bloody repression of protests.

Those targeted with asset freezes and visa bans included the interior, security, finance, natural resources and transport ministers, according to listings published in the EU's official journal.

The 27-nation bloc put the state-run gem and timber enterprises on the list as they look to cut off key revenues to the junta.

It also added the Myanmar War Veterans Organisation, which acts as a reserve force for the military, to the blacklist.

The latest additions take the number of individuals and entities sanctioned by the EU to 35 since the bloc's first round of punitive measures agreed in March.

The US and Britain have also targeted key officials and enterprises in the country, but so far the junta has shrugged off Western pressure.

London on Monday also announced sanctions on the same companies as well as the military junta's ruling body the State Administration Council.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said the move to curb trade in the two high-value commodities would deprive the generals of "millions in revenue".

"The military has continued its subversion of democracy and brutal killing of civilians," said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

"We will continue to hold the junta to account and sanction those responsible, until democracy is restored."

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy government.

A mass uprising against the putsch has met a brutal crackdown leaving more than 870 civilians dead, according to a local monitoring group.

Campaign groups welcomed the latest EU and UK sanctions. Anna Roberts, executive director of the Burma Campaign UK, said it was a way of keeping up economic pressure.

"The EU must now also look at creative ways to stop oil and gas revenue reaching the military. It is vital to continue to systematically identify and cut sources of revenue to the military," she added.

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which probes transnational wildlife crime, illegal logging and deforestation, also applauded the move.

"There is now no legal source for timber, including precious teak, to be imported from Myanmar into the EU," said EIA forests campaign leader Faith Doherty.

"With these targeted sanctions, we will be able to stop the flow of hard currency to those who profit individually."

Russia and Myanmar agree to bolster ties
Moscow (AFP) June 21, 2021 - Myanmar's junta leader and a senior Russia security official on Monday committed to improving ties between their two countries, Russia's Security Council said in a statement.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy government in February.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has travelled to Moscow for a three-day international security conference kicking off Tuesday which brings together defence officials from across the globe.

Russia's Security Council said its chief Nikolai Patrushev had met with Min Aung Hlaing and discussed the "fight against terrorism, issues related to regional security" and foreign interference in Myanmar.

The officials "reaffirmed their desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation" between Russia and Myanmar, it added.

Min Aung Hlaing also met the head of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheyev, to discuss "potential military technical cooperation" a junta spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

This is Min Aung Hlaing's second known trip abroad since he seized power.

Myanmar state television on Sunday reported that the junta chief was attending the conference in Russia, an ally and major arms supplier to the Myanmar military.

The junta's brutal crackdown on dissent has killed at least 870 civilians since the February coup, according to a local monitoring group.

Min Aung Hlaing's visit comes after the UN General Assembly took the rare step on Friday of calling on member states to "prevent the flow of arms" into Myanmar.

The resolution -- which did not go so far as to call for a global arms embargo -- also demands that the Myanmar military "immediately stop all violence against peaceful demonstrators".

It was approved by 119 countries, with 36 abstaining including China, Myanmar's main ally, and Russia. Only one country, Belarus, voted against it.

Moscow in April said it opposed sanctions against the junta in Myanmar, warning that punitive measures could spark a large-scale civil conflict in the country.

While the Kremlin said it was "concerned" by the civilian casualties in the Myanmar protests, Russia has sought to develop ties with the junta.

A Russian deputy defence minister in March joined an annual parade showcasing Myanmar's military prowess, including Russian-made jets, tanks and helicopters.

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Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

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