The Swiss Federal Council imposed sanctions on eight individuals and four entities for their roles in the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said in a July 1 news release. The listings follow the third round of Myanmar sanctions imposed by the European Union and subject the parties to an asset freeze and travel ban. The individuals, all military or government officials, are Soe Htut, Tun Tun Naung, Win Shein, Khin Maung Yi, Tin Aung San, Thida Oo, Aung Lin Tun and Zaw Min Tun, a State Secretariat notice said. The entities are Myanma Gems Enterprise, Myanma Timber Enterprise, Forest Products Joint Venture and Myanmar War Veterans Organization.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 2 sanctioned 22 people connected to Myanmar’s military regime. The designations include seven “key members” of the military and 15 of their spouses and adult children. “Today’s action demonstrates that the United States will continue to impose increasing costs on Burma’s military and promote accountability for those responsible for the military coup and ongoing violence, including by targeting sources of revenue for the military and its leaders,” OFAC Director Andrea Gacki said in a statement.

The Bureau of Industry and Security will add four Myanmar entities to the Entity List July 6 for their support of the country’s Ministry of Defense, including through funding and the provision of telecommunications services, the agency said in a notice. BIS will also correct the address for an existing Myanmar entity on the list. The companies “pose a significant risk of being or becoming involved” in activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, BIS said, adding that the license restrictions will support U.S. efforts to return democracy to Myanmar.

The Bureau of Industry and Security will add four Myanmar entities to the Entity List June 6 for supporting the country’s Ministry of Defense, including through funding and the provision of telecommunication services. BIS will also correct the address for an existing Myanmar entity on the list. For each of the new entities, BIS will impose a license requirement for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, and no license exceptions will be available. The entities will be subject to a license review policy of presumption of denial.

The European Union added eight individuals and four entities to its sanctions on Myanmar related to the Feb. 1 military coup and “ensuing repression against peaceful demonstrators,” the bloc announced in a June 21 news release. The United Kingdom added three entities to its Myanmar sanctions regime, as announced in a financial sanctions notice. Both sanctions listings include a travel ban and assets freeze on the listed individual or entity.

Congress may want to “evaluate” the Commerce Department's efforts to place export controls on emerging and foundational technologies and should consider pursuing reforms surrounding multilateral export regimes, the Congressional Research Service said in an updated report on export controls issued this month.

The Bureau of Industry and Security fined a Portland-based forwarding company $20,000 after the company illegally exported rifle scopes to the United Arab Emirates and China. The company, USGoBuy, LLC, exported more than $1,200 worth of scopes controlled for crime control reasons without their required licenses, BIS said in a June 17 order. Along with the penalties, USGoBuy also agreed to conduct an external audit of its export compliance program.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for June 1-4 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control released its Myanmar Sanctions Regulations to implement a February executive order that authorized sanctions against the country for the military-led coup earlier this year (see 2102100060). The regulations, effective June 1, were released in an “abbreviated form” to give “immediate guidance to the public,” OFAC said in a notice. The agency plans to supplement the regulations with more “interpretive and definitional guidance, general licenses, and other regulatory provisions.” The regulations include general definitions, information on blocked and exempt transactions, licensing requirements and penalties.

Sanctions compliance is increasingly presenting challenges to companies around the world as more countries turn to sanctions as a foreign policy tool, Baker McKenzie lawyers said. Some recent challenges include the growing emphasis on sanctions enforcement and the due diligence issues presented by countries with little publicly available information on ownership chains, the lawyers said.