US will continue to support people of Myanmar against military coup, says Blinken

The United States will continue to support the people of Myanmar against the military coup, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

Blinken's statement comes after US imposed sanctions on two state-owned Burmese compes, Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) and Myanmar Pearl Enterprise (MPE).

"The Burmese military regime continues to ignore the will of the people of Burma to restore the country's path to democracy. Instead of acceding to the clear aspirations of its citizens, the regime has intensified its violent crackdown, killing more than 650 people, including many children, and detaining more than 3,200 others since February 1," Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The United States is taking further action to restrict the regime's access to key economic resources by designating two state-owned enterprises that benefit the regime as it engages in violence against the people of Burma. Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) and Myanmar Pearl Enterprise (MPE) are being designated pursuant to Executive Order 14014, for being a political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of the government of Burma," he added.

The US Secretary of State further stated that "US action today reinforces our message to the military that the United States will continue to target specific funding channels and promote accountability for the coup and related violence. We will continue to support the people of Burma in their efforts to reject this coup, and we call on the military regime to cease violence, release all those unjustly detained, and restore Burma's path to democracy".

On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence, resulting in the death of several hundred people.

( With inputs from ANI )