The British government on Thursday announced sanctions against a Burmese (also known as Myanmar) business conglomerate linked to the military regime. The Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) is being sanctioned for its “involvement in serious human rights violations by making funds available to the military, as well as its association with senior military figures,” the UK government said in a statement. Under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime, the measure will prohibit funds and other resources being made available to any subsidiaries owned or controlled by MEC. The MEC Board of Directors is mainly comprised of serving or retired military personnel, the UK government said. Burma has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government on Feb. 1. At least 538 civilians have been killed in protests against the coup, 141 of them on March 27, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance …