Latest news with #RM12.7mil
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
US$3mil push to rebuild US ties
A Washington lobbying firm has signed an agreement worth US$3mil (RM12.7mil) a year with Myanmar's Information Ministry to help the long-time military-ruled country rebuild relations with the United States. According to documents submitted under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara), the DCI Group signed the agreement with the ministry on July 31, the day Myanmar's military nominally transferred power to a civilian-led interim government ahead of a planned election. Myanmar's leadership under military chief Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a 2021 coup and that year an Israeli-Canadian lobbyist they hired to represent them in Washington and other capitals said he had stopped his work because US sanctions on the generals prevented him from being paid. The US Treasury Department, the DCI Group, the US State Department and Myanmar's Washington embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment when asked if US sanctions would affect the agreement between the Myanmar ministry and the DCI Group. The formation of an interim government signals no change to the status quo in Myanmar, with Hlaing holding on to all major levers of power as acting president while retaining his position as chief of the armed forces. He has appeared eager to engage with US President Donald Trump's administration after years of isolation. When Trump threatened new tariffs on Myanmar's US-bound exports this month as part of his global trade offensive, he did so in a signed letter addressed personally to Hlaing. The general responded by lavishing praise on Trump for his 'strong leadership' while asking for lower rates and the lifting of sanctions. He said he was ready to send a negotiating team to Washington, if needed. According to the Fara filing, the DCI Group 'shall provide public affairs services to (the) client with respect to rebuilding relations between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the United States, with a focus on trade, natural resources, and humanitarian relief'. Engaging the country's junta would be a sharp departure for the United States, given US sanctions on the military leaders and the violence committed against the Rohingya minority that Washington calls genocide and crimes against humanity. — Reuters
The Star
27-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
US drops sanctions on junta allies after general lauds Trump
The United States has lifted sanctions on several allies of Myanmar's ruling general and their military-linked firms, a US Treasury notice shows, after the junta chief sent a glowing letter of praise to President Donald Trump. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a 2021 coup, deposing the civilian government and sparking a civil war that has killed thousands, leaving 3.5 million displaced and half the nation in poverty. Two weeks ago, the top general sent a letter to Trump, responding to his threat of tariffs by lauding his presidency with praise, including for shutting down US-funded media outlets covering the conflict. A US Treasury notice on Thursday said sanctions were dropped against KT Services and Logistics, the Myanmar Chemical and Machinery Company, and Suntac Technologies, as well as their managers. In a statement, a US Treasury Department spokesperson denied there was an 'ulterior motive' in the move, although the notice did not provide a reason for the removals. 'Anyone suggesting these sanctions were lifted for an ulterior motive is uninformed and peddling a conspiracy theory driven by hatred for President Trump,' said the spokesperson, on condition of anonymity. They added that individuals were 'regularly added and removed' from the sanctions list 'in the ordinary course of business'. KT Services and Logistics and its CEO Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung were described as junta 'cronies' when they were sanctioned in 2022 for leasing Yangon's port from a military firm for US$3mil (RM12.7mil) a year. The Myanmar Chemical and Machinery Company and its owner, Aung Hlaing Oo, and Suntac Technologies owner Sit Taing Aung were sanctioned later that year for producing arms, including tanks and mortars. A third Myanmar national, Tin Latt Min – who the US previously described as owning 'various companies that are closely related to the regime' – was also removed from the sanctions list. Trump sent a letter to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing earlier this month, one among a raft of missives despatched to foreign leaders during his global tariff blitz. The letter – believed to be Washington's first public recognition of the junta's rule since the coup – threatened Myanmar with a 40% levy unless a trade deal was struck. Min Aung Hlaing responded with a multi-page letter expressing his 'sincere appreciation' for Trump's message and praising his 'strong leadership'. — AFP
