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The United States lifted sanctions designations on several allies of Myanmar’s ruling generals, two weeks after the head of the ruling junta praised President Donald Trump and requested relief from sanctions in a letter responding to a tariff warning.
On July 27, the U.S. Treasury Department removed KT Services & Logistics, its founder Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung; the MCM Group, its owner Aung Hlaing Oo; Suntac Technologies, its owner Sit Taing Aung; and another individual, Tin Latt Min, from the sanctions list.
KT Services & Logistics and Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung were added to the sanctions in January 2022 under the Biden administration. Sit Taing Aung and Aung Hlaing Oo were placed on the sanctions list that year for operating in Myanmar’s defense sector. Tin Latt Min was sanctioned in 2024 to mark the third anniversary of the military coup.
On July 11, Myanmar’s ruling military general, Min Aung Hlaing, wrote to Trump asking for a reduction in the 40% tariff rate on his country’s exports to the U.S. He proposed a reduced rate of 10% to 20%, with Myanmar slashing its levy on U.S. imports to zero to 10%. Min Aung Hlaing also requested that Trump reconsider easing and lifting economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar.
Myanmar is one of the world’s main sources of rare earth minerals, crucial for high-tech defense and consumer applications. Securing these supplies was a major focus for the Trump administration in its strategic competition with China, which handles 90% of rare earth processing capacity. Most of Myanmar’s rare earth mines are in areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an ethnic group fighting the junta.
Ami Bera, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Asia subcommittee, called the decision “a bad idea” that goes against U.S. values of freedom and democracy. John Sifton, Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, described the move as “shocking” with an unclear motivation.
The action suggests a major shift in U.S. policy towards Myanmar’s military regime, which four years ago carried out a coup d’état against a democratically elected government and is implicated in crimes against humanity and genocide.
📚 Reading Comprehension Quiz
On July 27, which entities were removed from the sanctions list by the U.S. Treasury Department?
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