“After a careful assessment of the facts and circumstances, we found that Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the ruling party in Burma, and Win Myint, the duly elected head of government, were deposed in a military coup on February 1,” a Department official said Tuesday, with a different name for Myanmar. “We continue to call on Burmese military leaders to release them and all other detained civil society organizations and political leaders immediately and unconditionally.”
The United States provides “very little” foreign aid directly to the government of Myanmar and “the government of Burma, including the Burmese military, is already subject to a number of foreign aid restrictions, including legal restrictions on military assistance, due to the track record on human rights. “
Speaking to reporters during a meeting, the State Department official said the government “will conduct a broader review of our aid programs to ensure they are in line with recent events.”
That review will begin “immediately” and will “look at any programs that indirectly benefit the military or individual junior officers.”
At the same time, we will pursue programs that directly benefit the people of Burma, including humanitarian assistance and democracy support programs that benefit civil society. A democratic, civilian-led government has always been the best opportunity for Burma to address the problems the country is facing, “the official said.
They also suggested that sanctions following the seizure of power by Myanmar’s armed forces will remain on the table Monday.
“As President (Joe) Biden has said, we will take action against those responsible, including through a careful assessment of our current stance on sanctions against Burma’s military leaders and affiliated companies,” the official said. .
Biden warned in a statement the day before, “The United States has lifted sanctions against Burma over the past decade on the basis of progress towards democracy. The reversal of that progress will require an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed. through appropriate measures. “
The State Department official did not provide a timeline for possible sanctions. Officials told CNN on Monday that the government could roll them out this week, but a decision to pull the trigger would likely be influenced by the desire to go with allies.
Congressional officials briefed by the State Department on Monday told CNN that members of Congress would likely pass legislation to impose sanctions if the government doesn’t impose them.
Myanmar’s armed forces seized control of the country on Monday after detaining top government figures, including leader Suu Kyi, after months of increasing friction between the civilian government and the military, known as the Tatmadaw, over alleged election irregularities.
The State Department official told reporters on Tuesday that they have “had no direct contact with the military on the ground” since the coup, nor have they been in contact with the detained civilian leaders.
“In terms of our ability to talk to members of the (National League for Democracy) party or Aung San Suu Kyi himself, no, we didn’t,” they said. “We understand that most of the senior officials are under house arrest, and the NLD leadership, as well as some members of the regional government and civil society. But we have not been able to reach them, we will of course continue to try to do that.”
The official noted that the US has “had frequent contact with our like-minded allies and partners in the region,” including Japan and India, with whom it “has daily talks.”
“We certainly appreciate that some other countries have better contact with Burmese military than we are, so we are continuing those talks,” the official said.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.