After the coup in Myanmar

Following the coup d'état in Myanmar, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) demands targeted EU sanctions focusing on the economic interests of the generals behind the coup. The STP emphasized that the military leaders should feel the consequences of their coup – but not the general public. In the more than 50 years of its rule, Myanmar's military has created an economic empire. Thus, it would be possible to sanction the breweries, banks, travel agencies, hotels, transport companies, ports, tobacco companies, textile companies, real estate agencies, as well as companies mining jade, rubies, sapphires, and copper.

"The EU should suspend all business with companies controlled by the military and their subsidiaries," demanded Ulrich Delius, the STP's Director, in Göttingen on Tuesday. "If the military arbitrarily locks away democratically elected political figures, it is inappropriate to further increase the wealth of the generals – which they accumulated through corruption and embezzlement." The coup is also about economic interests, which the military fears might be compromised by the democratization process.  

For example, General Min Aung Hlaing, the influential commander-in-chief, controls two important military holdings, the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and the Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL). He personally heads MEHL and is one of its most important shareholders. Thanks to his connections, Hlaing's close family members have made a lot of money too. His son Aung Pyae Sone, for example, controls the import of medicines and medical technology. He also owns hotels, restaurants and, together with his wife, a trading company. "Myanmar is still one of the poorest countries in the world, and this is largely due to the corruption of the generals and their minions," Delius stated.

Normally, the 64-year-old general would have to step down as commander-in-chief of the armed forces in June 2021, which is why he is now looking for ways to retain power. He is not very popular and would have little chances of being elected president by legal means, so he is attempting an illegal coup d'état.

The STP has been warning about the danger posed by General Min Aung Hlaing for years. Thus, the human rights organization protested when he was welcomed with military honors in Berlin in April 2017, at the invitation of the Inspector General of the German army. At the time, the German government had tried to start a dialogue with Myanmar's military to promote the democratization process – but the strategy was doomed to fail, as Hlaing had already forcibly expelled the Rohingya in 2016. Then, in the summer of 2017, he was responsible for the genocide of this minority. Now, the Foreign Office is not exactly proud of having paid court to him.