Written question asked by Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour) on Friday, 4 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 October 2019. It was answered by Heather Wheeler (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 October 2019 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Burma: Arms Trade

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy (a) to impose sanctions on companies linked to the military of Myanmar and (b) to take diplomatic steps to encourage other countries to impose such sanctions.

Answer: We agree that the interests of the Myanmar military and companies linked to it are deeply entrenched across Myanmar's economy. But targeted sanctions on specific commercial entities are difficult, as those entities are not always wholly controlled by the military. Any decision to impose sanctions on such entities would have to be carefully considered. Targeting companies or whole sectors could disrupt Myanmar’s financial system, harm economic development across Myanmar and inadvertently harm vulnerable people. We continue to discuss with international partners whether we can add further targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations in a way that minimises the impact on the people of Myanmar.

Secondary information