Sanctions on Myanmar rulers tightened
Switzerland is further tightening economic sanctions against Myanmar introduced in the wake of the military rulers crackdown against pro-democracy protestors a year ago.
Import of timber, wood products, coal, some metals and precious stones are banned in line with similar measures taken by the European Union earlier this year.
At the same time financial sanctions were extended to people working in the timber and metal industries.
The economics ministry said the move is aimed at forcing the Myanmar government to respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Not affected will be aid deliveries for the victims of a cyclone that hit southeast Asia in May.
In 2007 Switzerland imported goods worth about SFr900,000 ($828,300) from Myanmar, while exports stood at SFr2.9 million.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.