Several of Australia's closest allies have hit Myanmar's military with new economic sanctions one year after the junta seized power, drawing fresh calls for the federal government to do the same.
The military junta has faced international condemnation for overthrowing and then prosecuting Myanmar's democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as for successive vicious crackdowns on protesters, which have left more than 1,000 people dead.
But the peak diplomatic body in the region – the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) — remains deeply split on how to respond to the crisis.
The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have all marked the coup's anniversary by adding several top officials – including the junta's attorney-general and senior judicial officers – to their sanctions lists.
Labor is demanding that the federal government do the same and implement targeted sanctions "against those responsible for the coup" in order to help starve the regime of money.
Australia has frozen military cooperation with Myanmar's armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, but has so far shied away from imposing new sanctions on top generals in Myanmar.
"While many of our like-minded partners have taken strong actions, Mr Morrison still refuses to implement additional targeted sanctions against the Tatmadaw," said acting opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally.
"The Morrison-Joyce government's refusal to act over the past year sends precisely the wrong message — that Australia does not care and that we are mere bystanders to authoritarian backsliding in our region."
Last week, several non-government organisations also wrote to Foreign Minister Marise Payne urging her to impose sanctions on senior military officials and military-owned businesses.
Government joins statement but not action
On Tuesday, the federal government issued a joint statement with a host of other nations, including European Union countries, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK and US, saying the coup had had a "devastating impact on the people of Myanmar".
"The military regime bears responsibility for this crisis, which has gravely undermined peace and stability in Myanmar and the region," the statement said.
"We once again call for the immediate cessation of violence and for constructive dialogue among all parties to resolve the crisis peacefully.
"We reiterate our call on the military regime to immediately end the State of Emergency, allow unhindered humanitarian access, release all arbitrarily detained persons, including foreigners, and swiftly return the country to the democratic process."
The ABC has approached the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.
US, Canada and UK sanction top officials
The United States, Britain and Canada have imposed further sanctions against additional officials in Myanmar, targeting judicial officials involved in prosecutions against Ms Suu Kyi.
The US Treasury said it added a total of seven individuals and two entities to its sanctions list on Monday.
They included the junta's attorney-general, Thida Oo, whose office it said had crafted politically motivated charges against Ms Suu Kyi.
Ms Suu Kyi is on trial in more than a dozen cases and has so far been sentenced to a combined six years in detention. She denies all charges.
The US Treasury also listed the Myanmar Supreme Court's chief justice and the chairman of the country's anti-corruption commission, who it said were also involved in the prosecution of Ms Suu Kyi and leaders from her political party the National League for Democracy (NLD).
The action freezes any US assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
"As long as the regime continues to deny the people of Burma their democratic voice, we will continue to impose further costs on the military and its supporters," US President Joe Biden said in a statement condemning Myanmar's military rulers.
Canada announced it was adding the same three judicial officials to its sanctions list.
Britain announced it was listing the attorney-general and corruption commission chair as well as the junta-appointed chair of Myanmar's election commission.
Washington also added the army's procurement directorate, which it said buys weapons overseas; an alleged arms dealer, Tay Za, and his two adult sons; and KT Services & Logistics Company Ltd and its chief executive Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung.
That company, which Treasury said leased a port in Yangon from a military-owned company for $US3 million ($4.2 million) a year, is part of KT Group, a conglomerate that has done business with companies from Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
Paul Donowitz, campaign leader at advocacy group Global Witness, said Monday's actions "have reminded Myanmar's business community that there are consequences for facilitating the military's arms purchases and business interests".
The measures fell short of targeting Myanmar's natural gas revenues, the junta's largest source of foreign currency, Mr Donowitz said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the coordinated action demonstrated international support for Myanmar's people and would "further promote accountability for the coup and the violence perpetrated by the regime".
A UN team investigating Myanmar said on Monday it was preparing files that could facilitate prosecutions against those responsible for atrocities committed over the past year.
"Those who are considering committing crimes should be aware that serious international crimes have no statute of limitations," Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Geneva-based Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, said in a statement.
ABC/Reuters
