OPPONENTS of Myanmar’s military dictatorship gave a warm welcome today to the latest sanctions imposed by the European Union, Britain and Canada on individuals and entities supplying aviation fuel and equipment to the army.

This followed a warning on Tuesday from a United Nations envoy that the crisis in Myanmar was deepening.

The Myanmar regime’s army is currently on the defensive against ethnic militias in much of the country as well as hundreds of armed guerilla groups collectively known as the People’s Defence Forces (PDF).