US lifts sanctions on daughter of Myanmar military-linked businessman

The United States has removed Theint Win Htet from its sanctions list, in a move that comes days after reports that the Trump administration has reopened talks with Myanmar's government. The Treasury Department delisted her on Friday, according to its website, after she filed a lawsuit in July seeking to be taken off the list. The decision marks a notable shift in a sanctions case tied to Myanmar's military-linked business networks.

Sponsored

Theint Win Htet had been sanctioned because of her connection to the Shwe Byain Phyu Group of Companies, which was founded by her father, Thein Win Zaw, and his family. In January 2024, the Treasury Department said the company supplied fuel to the military and owned at least 20 firms with close ties to military leadership. Her first request for removal, filed against the Biden administration, was dismissed last year, before she submitted a second complaint in July arguing that she had no role in her father's business.

The sanctions had practical consequences for her personal and financial life. According to the court filing described in the report, they blocked her US credit cards, restricted her foreign bank accounts and forced her to abandon a master's degree at Columbia University in New York. She now lives in Thailand with her mother, who was removed from the US sanctions list last year.

Her lawyer later filed notice in federal court in Washington, DC, saying the lawsuit would be voluntarily dismissed after the delisting. The move is significant because it comes against the backdrop of a broader reassessment of US policy toward Myanmar. Washington had maintained sanctions on generals and companies after the 2021 coup that removed the country's democratically elected government and triggered a civil war.

Sponsored

The reported reopening of talks with Myanmar's government suggests a possible change in diplomatic approach, even as the conflict continues and sanctions remain a central tool of pressure. The case also highlights the role of family-linked business networks in Myanmar's military economy. The Treasury's earlier action against Shwe Byain Phyu Group reflected US concerns that commercial entities were helping sustain the military leadership through fuel supply and ownership links.

Rights group Justice For Myanmar criticised the delisting, saying the military is escalating attacks on civilians and accusing Washington of removing people connected to junta funding. The wider conflict in Myanmar has already killed about 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million, according to the report. That scale helps explain why sanctions policy remains politically sensitive, both inside and outside the country.

It also means any shift in US engagement will be watched closely by rights groups, exiled activists and businesses linked to the military. What remains unclear is how far the reported US talks with Myanmar's government may go, and whether the delisting signals a broader policy change or only a case-specific legal outcome. It is also not clear whether other sanctioned individuals or companies connected to the same network could seek similar relief.

#Myanmar #sanctions #TreasuryDepartment #TheintWinHtet #ShweByainPhyuGroup

Sponsored