US marks anniversary of Myanmar coup with more sanctions

The United States on Wednesday slapped further sanctions on Myanmar, marking the three-year anniversary of the coup as Washington targeted two entities and several people it said were closely associated with the junta.

Wednesday's sanctions were the latest aimed at the fuel the junta uses to conduct aerial bombings in its war with anti-coup forces that have often targeted civilians, as well as the military's ability to produce, reports reuters.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it targeted the Shwe Byain Phyu Group of Companies, its owner Thein Win Zaw, his wife and two adult children.

Treasury said the company imports and distributes petroleum for the military and has a profit sharing relationship with military conglomerate Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd, which Washington imposed sanctions on in 2021.

Washington also targeted MEHL-owned shipping company Myanmar Five Star Line, which it said ships material for domestic weapons production for the military.

Myanmar has been locked in conflict since the military seized power in a coup in 2021 that sparked nationwide chaos and abruptly ended a decade of tentative democracy and economic reform.

The sanctions, which freeze any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bar Americans from dealing with them, come as junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is under pressure after a series of battlefield defeats that have seen rebel groups take control of at least 35 towns since October._Agencies.