Burma Campaign UK dismisses rumours on sanctions; Yacht firm prosecuted for Myanmar teak imports

Burma Campaign UK dismisses rumours on sanctions

Burma Campaign UK told DVB that the British government hasn’t revealed any sanctions against the Arakan Army (AA) over its alleged mass killings and human rights violations against the Rohingya, as well as other ethnic minorities, in its territory. The rumors about possible sanctions against the AA emerged three months after Burma Campaign UK called on London to take action against the ethnic armed group on Feb. 25.

“There’s no indication that the U.K. government is considering sanctions against the AA,” Anna Roberts, the executive director of Burma Campaign UK, told DVB in an interview on May 18. She added that while the U.K. government could freeze AA assets and ban its members from traveling to the U.K., such measures would be “largely symbolic” like those which have been imposed against the regime in Naypyidaw following the 2021 coup.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the AA of massacring nearly 600 Rohingya and burning down their homes in Buthidaung Township’s Hoyyar Siri (also known as Htan Shauk Khan) village on May 2, 2024. The AA dismissed the HRW report as a “fabrication.” It has seized control of 14 of 17 townships in Arakan State, as well as Paletwa Township in southern Chin State, since it launched its statewide offensive on Nov. 13, 2023.

To learn more about UK sanctions against the military, check out our Myanmar Sanctions Monitor

Yacht firm prosecuted in US for Myanmar teak imports

In a victory for environmental and human rights advocates, whistleblower group Justice For Myanmar (JFM) is applauding the successful prosecution of British luxury yacht manufacturer Sunseeker International and its American subsidiary for violating sanctions by importing “illegal” teak from Burma.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced earlier this month that Sunseeker International Limited and Sunseeker USA Sales Co. Inc. pleaded guilty under the U.S. Lacey Act of illegally using teak in yachts imported into the U.S. The company has agreed to pay a $200,000 USD fine along with additional penalties, with formal sentencing scheduled for Aug. 20.

This U.S. prosecution highlights the ongoing struggle to choke off international revenue streams funding the regime since the 2021 coup. According to JFM, Burma’s forestry sector is completely monopolized by the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), a regime-run entity acting as the sole legal exporter of timber.