The United States has lifted sanctions on Theint Win Htet, the daughter of a Myanmar businessman accused of supporting the military-installed government. The US Department of the Treasury announced the removal from its sanctions list on Friday, following a lawsuit she filed in July. This decision comes shortly after reports indicated that the Trump administration had reopened discussions with Myanmar’s government, marking a shift from previous US policies that imposed sanctions on military leaders involved in the 2021 coup against Myanmar’s democratically elected government.
In January 2024, the Treasury Department under former President Joe Biden targeted the Shwe Byain Phyu Group of Companies, founded by Theint Win Htet’s father, Thein Win Zaw. The company was accused of supplying fuel to the military and owning at least 20 firms linked to military leadership.
Theint Win Htet's initial request for removal from the sanctions list was made in a lawsuit against the Biden administration, which was dismissed last year. She filed a second complaint in July, asserting that she had no involvement in her father’s business. The sanctions had restricted her access to US credit cards, foreign bank accounts, and led her to abandon her master’s degree at Columbia University in New York. She currently resides in Thailand with her mother, who was removed from the US sanctions list last year.
Following her delisting, Theint Win Htet’s lawyer, Erich Ferrari, filed a notice in federal court to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit. The group Justice For Myanmar criticized the Treasury Department’s decision, stating that the military is intensifying attacks on civilians. They expressed concern that the US government continues to delist individuals associated with the military junta, which they claim funds terror activities. The Biden administration had previously imposed sanctions on military officers and companies after the 2021 coup, which has resulted in approximately 100,000 deaths and displaced over 3.5 million people in Myanmar. Washington also lifted sanctions in July last year on other Myanmar nationals and a company accused of aiding the military.