WASHINGTON, Feb 11: The US has imposed sanctions on the military that took power in Myanmar in a coup on February 1. Myanmar's military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing, who took control of the Government, had alleged that the ruling party had resorted to irregularities in the national elections held November last in which a pro-militray party had lost and Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling party had won.

In his first move against a foreign country, President Joe Biden on Wednesday okayed the executive order to "immediately sanction the military leaders who directed the coup, their business interests as well as close family members." "The US Government is also taking steps to prevent the generals from improperly having access to the one billion dollars in Burmese government funds held in the United States," Biden added. "We're also going to impose strong export controls," he said.

Thousands of people are staging protests against the military since the coup.

Biden asked the military to release detained protesters like Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint and cease their crackdowns on demonstrators. "The military must relinquish power they've seized and demonstrate respect for the will of the people of Burma, as expressed in their November 8 election," he said.

"And finally, as protests grow, violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable and we're going to keep calling it out. The people of Burma are making their voices heard and the world is watching. We'll be ready to impose additional measures and we'll continue to work with our international partners to urge other nations to join us in these efforts," the president concluded.

A five-decade long milirary rule had ended in 2011 after protracted struggle spearheaded by Suu Kyi. She was detained for 15 years from 1989 and had become the icon of the movement for democracy in Myanmar and the world. She also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.