Media Advisory
For Immediate Release: February 1st, 2021
In the early hours of February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military detained Burmese de facto leader Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from her ruling party.
The Myanmar military’s move comes after days of escalating threats to the civilian government by the powerful military. For weeks, the military has been peddling unfounded accusations of fraud in the November 2020 Myanmar elections in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, won a crushing victory over military-backed parties.
The following quote can be attributed to Simon Billenness, Executive Director of the International Campaign for the Rohingya.
“Myanmar’s military must immediately and unconditionally release Aung San Suu Kyi, senior government officials, and all others the army has unlawfully detained.”
“We call on all governments to hold the Myanmar military accountable for its actions through sanctions against Myanmar military leaders and the army’s extensive business empire. We specifically call on U.S. President to issue an executive order restoring U.S. sanctions under the JADE Act.”
“We further call on corporations worldwide to cut all business ties with Myanmar military-owned and controlled companies. Facebook must suspend the accounts of the Myanmar military, which recruits its soldiers and conducts its business through the social platform. Companies such as Japanese beer giant Kirin must end their business partnerships with Myanmar military-owned companies.”
For a full details of the economic interests of the Myanmar military and army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, read Justice For Myanmar’s recent report “Who Profits From a Coup? The Power and Greed of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.”
Contact:
Simon Billenness
Executive Director
International Campaign for the Rohingya
M: (617) 596-6158