Canada on Dec. 9 announced new sanctions on people and entities in Russia, Iran and Myanmar for human rights violations. The sanctions target 67 people and nine entities, including 33 current or former Russian senior officials and six entities involved in human rights violations against Russian citizens; 22 people “complicit in gross and systematic human rights violations” in Iran; and 12 people and three entities that “perform key functions on behalf of the Myanmar military regime.”

The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in a series of four notices amended various entries under its sanctions regimes pertaining to North Korea, Myanmar, Russia and Global Human Rights.

The EU imposed restrictions on 19 individuals and one entity under its Myanmar sanctions regime, the European Council announced Nov. 8. The individuals include Kan Zaw, minister of investment and foreign economic relations; Htun Htun Oo, Supreme Court chief justice; and high-level officials in the Myanmar Armed Forces and Union Election Commission. The State Administration Council was listed due to its "central role in undermining democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar/Burma as well as in actions that threaten the peace, security and stability of the country," the council said. Restrictions initially were put in place following the military coup in Myanmar and currently apply to 84 individuals and 11 entities, subjecting them to an asset freeze and travel ban.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned one person and one entity for helping Myanmar’s military purchase weapons. The designations, announced alongside similar measures by the EU (see 2211080006), target Kyaw Min Oo, a Myanmar national and businessman with close ties to the country’s military, and Sky Aviator, his company. OFAC said Kyaw Min Oo has “facilitated arms deals and weapons purchases on behalf” of Myanmar’s military, and has helped arrange visits to Myanmar by high-ranking foreign military officers. Sky Aviator is used to “facilitate upgrades and maintenance” of the country’s military aircraft, OFAC said.

Sanctioned Myanmar businessman Tay Za has for years set up shop in Singapore, where he's found shelter from U.S. sanctions, but those days may be coming to an end, Bloomberg reported. Tay Za was accused of supplying arms and equipment to the Myanmar military. Despite this, he upheld the right to live and work in Singapore despite the sanctions first imposed in 2007 and incorporated around 10 companies in Singapore operating in palm oil, teak and aviation. Most countries in Asia do not support these sanctions, though this position is becoming harder to uphold while the U.S. increases pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta and global financial regulators discuss the prospect of blacklisting the country, Bloomberg said. Signs are starting to appear that show Singapore is moving away from its practice of not interfering with its neighbors' business, criticizing the junta's regime, asking banks to increase their scrutiny of financial flows to Myanmar, and not allowing the transfer of any items that could be used to inflict violence against unarmed civilians, though Tay Za and others continue to operate in Singapore, Bloomberg said. Tay Za continues to deny he supplies arms to the military.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 6 sanctioned seven Iranian government officials responsible for the country's internet shutdown and Myanmar businesspeople for supporting the Myanmar military.

The U.K. added three entries to its Myanmar sanctions regime in an Aug. 24 notice. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added International Gateways Group, Sky One Construction and Star Sapphire Group to the sanctions list, all for contributing funds to and brokering deals for military goods for the Myanmar security forces, which committed human rights atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar, the U.K said.

Vietnam imposed antidumping and countervailing duties on sugar products imported from Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar that use Thai sugar materials, the state-run CustomsNews reported Aug. 4. The trade remedies are meant to target evasion of the AD/CVD on Thai sugar and amount to a 42.99% antidumping duty and a 4.65% countervailing duty, though the imports won't be subject to the duties if it can be proven that they were made with sugarcane harvested in the five countries. The tariffs will expire June 15, 2026, unless another decision from the Ministry of Industry and Trade changes the duties.

India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade in a July 18 notice implemented three memorandums of understanding -- for urad and tur from Myanmar, pigeon peas from Malawi and pigeon peas from Mozambique. For 2022-2026, the DGFT set import quotas for urad and tur from Myanmar at 250,000 metric tons and 100,000 metric tons, respectively. For pigeon peas from Malawi, the import quota was set at 50,000 mt; for pigeon peas from Mozambique, the quota was set at at 200,000 mt.

The U.K. amended one entry under its Myanmar sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced June 24. OFSI updated the entry for Sins Avia Trading House, a Russian company responsible for supplying aircraft parts and maintenance for the Myanmar Armed Forces since the February 2021 coup.