US Removes Sanctions on Daughter of Myanmar Military-Linked Tycoon

The United States has removed theint Win Htet from its list of sanctioned individuals, ending a financial and legal battle that barred her from using US credit cards and forced her to leave her studies at Columbia University.

According to the US Department of the Treasury’s website, the delisting occurred on Friday. The move follows a lawsuit filed by Theint Win Htet in July seeking her removal from the sanctions registry.

Her legal counsel, Erich Ferrari, a Washington, DC-based sanctions specialist, confirmed that a notice to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit was filed with the federal court in the US capital shortly after the delisting.

The decision comes amid reports from Reuters indicating that President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated talks with Myanmar’s current government, marking a significant shift from previous US policy which had heavily sanctioned generals responsible for the 2021 coup that ousted the democratically elected government.

In January 2024, the Treasury Department, under the Biden administration, sanctioned the Shwe Byain Phyu Group of Companies. The entity was co-founded by Theint Win Htet’s father, Thein Win Zaw, along with other family members. Officials stated that the group supplied fuel to the military and owned at least 20 firms with close ties to military leadership.

Theint Win Htet, who argued in her second complaint that she holds no role in her father’s business, had originally sought removal during the previous administration’s tenure. Her initial lawsuit was dismissed last year.

Previously sanctioned, she was unable to access her US credit cards, faced restrictions on her foreign bank accounts, and was compelled 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.

The action has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates. Justice For Myanmar condemned the Treasury Department’s decision, stating that the Myanmar military is escalating attacks on civilians.

“It is deplorable that the US government continues to delist Myanmar cronies and their family members that provide funding for the junta’s terror,” the group said in a statement.

The Biden administration had imposed sanctions on military officers and associated companies following the 2021 coup, which triggered a civil war that has resulted in approximately 100,000 deaths and displaced more than 3.5 million people. In July of the previous year, Washington had also lifted sanctions on several other Myanmar nationals and a company accused of aiding the military.