As Civil War Death Toll Exceeds 100,000, US Still Lifts Sanctions on Daughter of Myanmar Military-Linked Businessman

The US Treasury Department on Friday removed Theint Win Htet, daughter of Myanmar junta-linked businessman Thein Win Zaw, from its sanctions list. According to Al Jazeera, the Treasury Department published the decision on its website. The decision comes after Reuters reported that the Trump administration has restarted talks with the Myanmar junta, marking a break in US Myanmar policy from the line of sanctioning related generals that has been in place since the 2021 military coup.

Theint Win Htet had previously filed her first delisting lawsuit against the Biden administration, but the case was dismissed last year. In July of this year, she filed suit again, arguing that she had no role in her father's business. Her Washington-based attorney and sanctions expert Erich Ferrari subsequently filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with the federal court.

Theint Win Htet's father, Thein Win Zaw, is the founder of the Shwe Byain Phyu Group. In January 2024, the Biden-era US Treasury Department placed the group on the sanctions list, accusing it of supplying fuel to the Myanmar military and owning at least 20 companies with close ties to the military leadership. The sanctions froze Theint Win Htet's US credit card accounts, restricted her overseas bank accounts, and forced her to abandon her master's degree at Columbia University. She currently lives in Thailand with her mother. Her mother was removed from the US sanctions list last year.

In July last year, Washington had already lifted sanctions on several other Myanmar nationals and one company accused of assisting the military.

However, Myanmar has been mired in civil war since the 2021 military coup ousted the elected government. According to Al Jazeera's reporting, the fighting has killed approximately 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.

Against this backdrop, Justice For Myanmar, an advocacy organization dedicated to holding the military accountable, condemned the Treasury Department's decision. The organization said the Myanmar military is escalating attacks on civilians and accused the US government of "continuing to lift sanctions on Myanmar elites and their family members who fund the junta's terrorist operations."