Australia has suspended the defence cooperation program with Myanmar over the violent crackdown by Myanmar military on massive protests against last month's coup, Foreign Minister (FM) Marise Payne said on Sunday.
In a statement, Payne added that Australia would also redirect urgent humanitarian needs to the Rohingyas and other ethnic minorities.
"We will give priority to the most urgent humanitarian needs and seek to ensure that our humanitarian participation is with and through non-governmental organizations and not with the government or government-related entities," the Australian FM noted.
On Sunday, an official from ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party has died in police custody, while security forces carried out crackdowns against opponents of the military coup, according to sources.
The cause of death of the official, Khin Maung Latt, is not revealed yet, but “Reuters” has seen a picture of his body, with his head covered with a blood-stained cloth.
Violent clashes between security forces and protesters continued on Sunday in Myanmar as demonstrators are taking to streets in different cities to protest the Military coup that took place on Feb. 1.
Earlier, the US Department of Commerce announced imposing sanctions on Myanmar’s Ministries of Defense and home affairs by adding them in its trade blacklist, to punish Myanmar’s army for its Feb 1 coup.
Sanctions were imposed on the two ministries, in addition to two other entities in the country, due to the coup in Myanmar, according to a statement by the US Department.
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