Trump Praised, Sanctions Erased: Myanmar Junta Allies See Lifting Of US Sanctions – Is This Concerning?
US has lifted sanction on Myanmar Junta Allies two weeks after President Trump was praised (Image Courtesy: RNA Media)
All it took was a praise and just two weeks for the lifting of sanctions for Myanmar Junta Allies. Seems like US President Donald Trump just needed to hear a few words of approval from Myanmar’s Junta as he has now announced the removal of sanctions on the latter’s allies.
These restrictions were originally imposed by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden following the military’s ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in 2021. It has now emerged that the US has lifted sanctions on several allies of Myanmar’s ruling general and their military-linked firms.
According to a recent US Treasury notice, sanctions were dropped against KT Services and Logistics, the Myanmar Chemical and Machinery Company, and Suntac Technologies as well as their managers.
KT Services and Logistics and Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung were added to the sanctions list in January 2022 under the Biden administration in a step timed to mark the first anniversary of the military seizure of power in Myanmar that plunged the country into chaos.
What led to the sanctions on Myanmar’s Junta allies being lifted?
Just two weeks earlier, on July 11, Myanmar’s junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing had publicly praised Trump and called for an end to the sanctions. Min Aung Hlaing voiced support for Trump’s unfounded claims regarding the 2020 US presidential election and expressed gratitude to him for cutting off funding to US-backed media outlets.
While the removal of sanctions comes after Min Aung Hlaing’s praise for Trump, the US Treasury notice state any reason for their removal.
It is worth mentioning here that US President Trump, earlier this month, shot off a letter to the junta chief. This is believed to be the US’ first public recognition of the junta’s rule since the coup.
Is this concerning?
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called the lifting of US sanctions on Myanmar junta allies as “deeply concerning,” indicating it could mark a significant shift in US policy towards Myanmar’s military, which ousted a democratically elected government in 2021 and has since been linked to crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.
