Biden announces sanctions against military leaders of Myanmar
Washington: US President Joe Biden has announced a series of sanctions on the military leaders of Myanmar in response to their recent action to overthrow a democratically elected leadership in a coup.
"Today I'm announcing a series of actions that we're taking to begin imposing consequences on the leaders of the coup. The US government is taking steps to prevent the generals from improperly having access to the USD1 billion in Burmese government funds held in the United States," Biden told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
Biden said he has approved a new executive order enabling US to immediately sanction the military leaders who directed the coup, their business interests, as well as close family members.
"We will identify a first round of targets this week. We are also going to impose strong export controls. We are freezing US assets that benefit the Burmese government, while maintaining our support for healthcare, civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly," Biden said.
As protests grow, violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable, Biden said the US is going to keep calling it out. The people of Burma are making their voices heard. And the world is watching, he said.
In his first public address on Myanmar, which the US and several other western countries continue to call it by its previous name of Burma, Biden demanded that military must relinquish the power it seized and demonstrate respect for the will of the people of Burma as expressed in their November 8th election.
Last week, the United States helped bring together the UN Security Council, which issued a strong statement in support of Burmese democracy. This week, the administration will use its renewed engagement on the Human Rights Council to strengthen the world's commitment to human rights in Burma, he said.
"Today, I again call on the Burmese military to immediately release the democratic political leaders and activists that they're now detaining, including Aung San Suu Kyi. And also Win Myint, the President, he said.
Biden said that the assault on Burma's transition to democracy remains an issue of deep bipartisan concern. We've consulted at length, for example, with Senator McConnell, who's had a very keen interest in this, and his team. We welcomed their helpful insights, he said.
Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed Biden's announcement that his administration will take concrete and targeted measures to demonstrate to the Burmese military that their actions are unacceptable.
"As I've said before, there must be real consequences if Aung San Suu Kyi and the rest of Burma's elected leaders are not immediately freed and allowed to resume their rightful place at the head of a civilian government, he said.
Meanwhile, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Ami Bera, Chairman of the Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation Subcommittee, on Wednesday held a briefing on the situation in Burma.
"Members expressed concern for the safety of those illegally detained by the military and expressed support for the administration's commitment to review the reimposition of sanctions, among other policy options, to hold the Burmese military accountable for the coup, they said in a joint statement.
"We urge the Burmese military to accept the will of the people and will continue to engage the Biden administration and likeminded partners and allies to support Burma's progress toward democracy, the two top lawmakers said.
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters that as protests grow, Burma's military leaders need to know that violence against those who peacefully assert their democratic rights will not be tolerated. The United States will take note of those who stand with the people of Burma at this moment of crisis, he asserted.
Price said the US stands with the people of Burma and support their right to assemble peacefully, including their right to protest peacefully in support of the democratically elected government, the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information both online and offline.
The fact that we continue to see these demonstrations throughout the streets in Burma indicate where the Burmese people are, what their aspirations for democracy are. We will stand with them, he said.
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Unemployed class 10 passouts in Bengal to get Rs 1,500 allowance from March 7: Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): Ahead of the assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that from Saturday unemployed young job seekers, having passed secondary examination (class 10), will receive Rs 1,500 allowance every month to help them move towards a self-reliant future.
The TMC supremo made this announcement - on the eve of International Women’s Day on March 8 - during her speech at the sit-in against large-scale deletion of names of voters by the Election Commission during Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll exercise.
She said young men and women - aged 21–40 years - who have passed the secondary exams - will receive Rs 1,500 per month from March 7. Bannerjee said while the assistance was originally scheduled to begin in April, it will now start immediately.
"In the case of Yuva Sathi, all those who are still studying and are not beneficiaries of any schemes other than scholarships will receive the amount. We had earlier stated that the money would be given on April 1. But since tomorrow is International Women's Day, as a gift, we have changed the payment date from April 1 to today (March 7)," she said.
All those aged between 21 and 40 years, numbering around 1 crore people, have applied for this scheme, she said, pointing out these are people who are not beneficiaries of any other schemes except scholarships.
Claiming that her government has generated employment opportunities to a great extent, Banerjee said, "The unemployment rate in Bengal has decreased by 40 per cent. We have provided skill training to at least 40 lakh people, out of which around 10 lakh are already employed.
"This has also happened because we have linked the websites of industrialists with those who have received skill training through Utkarsha Bangla. If migrant workers are interested, they will also be given opportunities. Recently, I heard that around 10,000 people are being trained in the jute industry, and they will also be absorbed into jobs," she said.
The CM said the state is giving Rs 10,000 to farmers every month.
"Even those with just one cottah of land used to receive Rs 4,000 earlier. Now we have also announced Rs 4,000 for landless farmers," she said.
Banerjee said in Bengal, six economic corridors are being constructed to connect the entire state.
"Apart from that, two power plants of 1,600 megawatts (800 megawatts each) are being built in Salboni. We are also number one in IT. More people are employed here than in Bengaluru. Around 200 new companies have also come here.
"Those who defame the state should know that we are number one in small and medium-scale industries. Around 1.5 crore people work in small-scale industries. Units from across the country have come here. In Bengal's leather hub in Bantala, at least 7.5 lakh people work there. Our self-help group women are doing really well. We have created around 12 lakh self-help groups," she said.
Banerjee said around one lakh people will be employed in the large coal reserve in Deucha Pachami in Birbhum district and for the next 100 years, there will be no power cuts in the state.
Bengal's GSDP is the highest even after "repaying Rs 6 lakh crore of debt and paying interest on it and despite Rs 2 lakh crore of central funds still pending," the CM said.
"From GSDP to revenue generation, we are the highest," she claimed.
