Switzerland this week sanctioned three people and one entity with ties to the Myanmar military and human rights violations in the country. The designations target Saw Chit Thu, Mote Thun and Tin Win, officials involved with the Karen National Army, an armed group linked to the country’s military. Switzerland also sanctioned Chit Linn Myaing Group, a group of companies controlled by Saw Chit Thu.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a final rule this week to revise its sanctions regulations for Myanmar, releasing a “more comprehensive set of regulations” with more guidance and definitions. The rule, effective Nov. 13, also includes general licenses and “other regulatory provisions that will provide further guidance to the public,” OFAC said. The new regulations replace the rules that were published in “abbreviated form” in 2021.
The Bureau of Industry and Security and its technical advisory committees should do more public outreach to make sure companies are aware of important export control updates sometimes buried in Federal Register notices, a BIS committee heard last week. That outreach is especially critical for companies working with industrial chemical processing equipment, a committee member and industry lawyer said, which has commercial uses but is increasingly drawing BIS scrutiny for its military capabilities, including in chemical weapons.
The Financial Action Task Force recently updated its list of jurisdictions with “deficiencies” in combating terrorism financing, weapons proliferation and other sanctions-related issues, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said Oct 30. The FATF added Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire and Lebanon to its list of "Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring" and removed Senegal from the list. The FATF’s list of "High-Risk Jurisdictions Subject to a Call for Action" remains the same and still lists Iran, North Korea and Myanmar.
The EU, the U.K. and Canada this week announced new, coordinated sanctions against Myanmar to target people and entities supplying controlled items to the military or for their involvement in human rights violations in the country.
Brad Brooks-Rubin, the State Department’s former sanctions policy lead for sub-Saharan Africa, Myanmar and natural resources issues, left the agency last week, he announced on LinkedIn. Brooks-Rubin had worked in the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination since June 2022.
The U.K. this week issued new guidance to mark the official launch of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, a new agency that it said will boost the country’s powers to investigate, catch and penalize Russia-related sanctions evaders and others who breach U.K. trade controls outside the country (see 2409130015).
New export compliance guidance issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security outlines the agency’s due diligence expectations for financial institutions and warns that companies that “self-blind” to red flags could face penalties.
The banking industry’s increasing overcompliance with U.S. sanctions is leading to an uptick in unnecessary financing delays and transaction cancellations, nongovernmental organizations told the Treasury Department. They said the issues are causing hurdles for humanitarian groups trying to deliver aid abroad and raising discrimination concerns among foreigners living in the U.S.
A final rule released Aug. 20 by the Office of Foreign Assets Control adds a new general license for Myanmar and updates “terminology and references” across other sanctions program regulations, OFAC said.