The European Parliament called on the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions and a “comprehensive” arms embargo on anyone accused of human rights violations against the Rohingya population in Myanmar, the parliament said Sept. 19. The parliament called on the EU “to promote the adoption of a resolution on Myanmar” during the next UN Human Rights Council session.

Mexico recently issued regulations formalizing import restrictions put in place in 2018 meant to protect against the introduction of African swine fever, according to a press release from the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER). Published on Aug. 15, the new regulations keep in place measures set in 2018 that prohibit the importation of pigs, pork, semen and embryos, as well as containers and vehicles used to transport these animals and animal products.

The Office of the High Commissioner for the United Nations Human Rights issued a report calling for sanctions against Myanmar and companies run by the country’s military, the OHCHR said in an Aug. 5 press release. The report also calls for an arms embargo and cites 14 foreign companies from seven nations that have exported “fighter jets, armored combat vehicles, warships, missiles and missile launchers” to Myanmar since 2016. The sanctions and arms embargo will weaken the country’s military and stop Myanmar from committing human rights violations, OHCHR said. The report specifically mentions Myanmar companies Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited and Myanmar Economic Corporation, which it said are owned by military leaders. The two companies control “at least 120 businesses involved in everything from construction to pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, insurance, tourism and banking,” the press release said.

Vietnam is increasing customs enforcement and oversight of imported and exported “loudspeakers,” saying the speakers have recently been found to be used to smuggle drugs into the country, according to a July 9 report from Vietnam Customs' mouthpiece CustomsNews. Customs said it will increase inspections and “intensify” its screening methods of cabinet and mobile loudspeakers. The report specifically mentions speakers being imported from “targeted areas producing, trading and transporting drugs” such as China, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, South America and Africa.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 20 advanced a bill that would impose sanctions on Burmese officials and military-owned entities, for human rights abuses. The bill, named the Burma Act of 2019, would also sanction current and former senior officials of the Burmese military -- and any entities they own -- who took “significant steps to impede investigations or prosecutions of alleged serious human rights abuses.” The bill would also sanction entities, such as the Myanmar Economic Cooperation or the Myanmar Economic Holding Corporation, that are controlled by Burmese security forces. The sanctions would take effect for an eight-year period beginning 270 days after the bill is enacted. The bill next heads to the House floor.

Myanmar issued a notice June 6 that it will now allow foreign and joint venture companies to export certain foods and commodities, according to a report in the Yangon-based Myanmar Times. “Foreign companies with recommendations from relevant ministries [that] can buy the commodities from local producers will be issued licenses to export the goods,” the report said. Items authorized for export include rice, meat and fish, value-added crops, pulp and paper, seeds, refined metals, semi-finished or finished fruit products and wood-based furniture, the report said. “Notably, foreign companies in Myanmar will be allowed to export value-added rice and broken rice as well as beans, pulses and corn,” it said.

Singapore Customs outlined rules of origin requirements and certification procedures under the new ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement that is slated to take effect June 11, in a recent circular. Beginning on that date, preferential treatment for Singapore-originating goods can be claimed under the agreement in Hong Kong, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. AHKFTA treatment is not available in other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states because they have not yet ratified the agreement, the circular said. The agency also outlined procedures for claiming preferential treatment in a separate circular.

In the April 30 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The European Council renewed its sanctions on Myanmar/Burma until April 30, 2020, according to an April 29 press release from the European Union. The sanctions place a ban on exporting dual-use goods to the country and prohibit dealing in “arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression,” the release said, as well as equipment for “monitoring communications” and “military cooperation” with the Myanmar Armed Forces. The sanctions also cover 14 “high-ranking officials” in the Myanmar military who committed “serious human rights violations,” the council said.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced two settlements totaling more than $650 million with a United Kingdom-based bank that allegedly violated U.S.-imposed sanctions on Cuba, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe and now-repealed sanctions on Myanmar and Sudan, OFAC said in an April 9 notice. The announcement marked OFAC’s largest settlement amount since June 2014, when the agency reached a $963 million settlement with a bank that also violated sanctions on Cuba, Iran, Myanmar and Sudan.