Myanmar’s praise for Trump pays off as US gives junta sanctions relief
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing had asked Trump to ‘reconsider easing’ the measures as they ‘hinder the shared interests of both countries’
A notice from the US Treasury Department said KT Services & Logistics and its founder, Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung; the MCM Group and its owner Aung Hlaing Oo; and Suntac Technologies and its owner Sit Taing Aung; and another individual, Tin Latt Min, were being removed from the US sanctions list.
Sit Taing Aung and Aung Hlaing Oo were placed on the sanctions list the same year for operating in Myanmar’s defence sector. Tin Latt Min, identified as another close associate of the military rulers, was placed on the list in 2024 to mark the third anniversary of the coup.
Treasury did not explain the reason for the move, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Human Rights Watch called the decision “extremely worrying” and said it suggested a major shift was under way in US policy towards Myanmar’s military, which has been implicated in crimes against humanity and genocide.