Washington (AFP) - The US Treasury leveled sanctions Tuesday against a Myanmar military official and three Myanmar businesses for trading arms with North Korea.
The Treasury said the sanctions, which forbid any US person or entity from doing business with those blacklisted, "does not generally target" the government of Myanmar.
Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Nyunt Oo and Myanmar firms Asia Metal Company, Soe Min Htike Co., and Excellence Mineral Manufacturing Co., had been involved in buying arms from North Korea despite strict international sanctions on the Pyongyang regime over its nuclear program, the Treasury said.
"The revenues from these continuing military sales directly support North Korea's illicit activities," said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen.
Kyaw Nyunt Oo, the Treasury said in a statement, is a Burmese military staff officer who acts on behalf of the Directorate of Defense Industries (DDI), which was blacklisted by Washington last year mainly for its arms-trade ties to North Korea.
In July, the Treasury set sanctions on the DDI's chief, Lieutenant General Thein Htay.
Soe Min Htike was a procurement agent for the DDI, the Treasury said. It and Excellence Mineral worked with North Korean officials to import material for weapons programs.
Asia Metal constructed buildings and supplied construction materials on a DDI factory compound where the Treasury said about 30 North Koreans were working.
The Treasury noted that in November 2012 the Myanmar government "publicly announced its intention to abide by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874, which prohibits the procurement of military goods and assistance from North Korea."
- Politics Government
- Military Defense
- North Korea
- US Treasury
- Myanmar
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/us-blacklists-myanmar-firms-for-arms-trade-with-n-korea/
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