The British government has warned Myanmar it is considering “next steps” over the military coup that saw democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi deposed and detained.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab condemned the treatment of Ms Aung after Myanmar’s police force filed charges against the Nobel laureate for allegedly importing illegal communications equipment.
The UK is consulting with allies on what action to take, Mr Raab said on Thursday – as pressure grows for sanctions against the south-east Asian nation’s military.
Mr Raab tweeted: “We condemn the detention and charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected officials. They must be released immediately and have charges removed.
“There must be no backsliding from democracy. The UK is consulting with international partners on next steps.”
Mr Raab has been accused by the Labour party of failing in his response to the weekend coup after the government stopped short of introducing new sanctions on the country’s military.
The Foreign Office said sanctions were already in place against individuals, including the military’s commander-in-chief and his deputy.
However, Labour has argued that the government should go further – taking action against the country’s armed forces and their business interests, extending arms embargo and offering formal backing to a case of genocide against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice.
Labour’s shadow foreign affairs spokesman Stephen Kinnock said: “The UK and the wider international community must act swiftly and effectively to prove the military wrong on this. The government must move from warm words of condemnation to tangible action.”
It comes as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called on international leaders to put pressure on Myanmar’s military. In an interview with the Washington Post, Mr Guterres said the UN would work with key international players “to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make sure that this coup fails”.
On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the G7 nations issued a statement calling for Ms Aung and other politicians to be released, and for power to be restored to the democratically-elected government.
Senior generals announced on Monday that they would take power for a year, accusing Ms Aung’s government of not investigating claims of voter fraud in recent elections. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept the vote and the military-backed party did poorly.
She appears likely to be detained until at least the middle of the month after police charged her with possession of illegally imported walkie talkies.
Myanmar’s junta blocked Facebook on Thursday, and activists said at least three people were arrested at a street protest against the coup. The social media platform was still available sporadically and demonstrators in Mandalay used it to livestream the first demonstrations since the coup.
