US allows Myanmar Embassy staff to leave amid coup

WASHINGTON

The US has authorized most staff members at its Yangon embassy who wish to leave Myanmar amid ongoing unrest after the military deposed the civilian government, the State Department confirmed Tuesday.

The department authorized what is known as "voluntary departure" for family members and non-emergency government workers on Feb. 14, spokesman Ned Price told reporters. The status will be reviewed every 30 days.

"As we do this we're continuing to assess the security situation, and if additional action is warranted we will take it," he said.

Earlier Tuesday, the military junta announced it would continue with cases against ousted State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint and other prisoners, rejecting the UN and international community's call to free them.

During an hour-long livestream on Facebook, military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun defended the coup and security forces' handling of protesters rallying against the power grab in cities across the country.

Brushing aside threats of sanctions by the US and Western countries in response to the coup, Tun said: "We are already expecting it. We expect some countries to implement sanctions."

"We are ready to face these sanctions," he added.

The Myanmar military junta, which blocked social media Feb. 6 in the face of increasingly significant anti-coup protests, made its first media contact through Facebook. Myanmar has more than 22 million active users, and since the ban, a significant number of people have downloaded a virtual private network (VPN) to circumvent the government's order.

Despite its restrictions, the junta has opted to use Facebook to communicate with the media from the administrative capital, Nay Pyi Taw.