The U.S. government has introduced new trade restrictions against Myanmar’s military government, in response to its escalating violence against unarmed protesters this week.

In a statement Thursday, the Department of Commerce said it had added Myanmar’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Home Affairs, and two top military conglomerates namely  Myanmar Economic Company (MEC) and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), to a trade blacklist.

The department has also subjected Myanmar to “military end use” export control restrictions under the country’s Export Administration Regulations (EAR), requiring American suppliers to apply for hard-to-obtain licenses to ship the country certain items.

“We will not allow the Burmese military to continue to benefit from access to items subject to the EAR,” the Commerce Department statement said. “The U.S. government will continue to hold perpetrators of the coup responsible for their actions.”et briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

In addition to the U.S., Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have all imposed sanctions following the coup and its violent aftermath. The United Nations Security Council is also due to meet today to discuss the situation in Myanmar, although any forthright action will likely founder on the vetoes of China and Russia.

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