US sanctions businessman linked to Myanmar junta for buying Russian-made arms

The sanctions targeted Aung Moe Myint, his company and two of its directors

Russia is a main source of military hardware for the junta and has provided diplomatic cover amid international condemnation of the coup

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Russia is a main source of military hardware for Myanmar’s junta. File photo: AFP

Published: 8:26am, 7 Oct 2022

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on a Myanmar businessman and two others involved in procuring Russian-made weapons from Belarus for the junta that seized power in the Southeast Asian country early last year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The military staged a coup in February 2021, detaining democratic leaders including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, then violently suppressed protests, sparking a spiralling conflict.

The US Treasury said in a statement it was imposing sanctions on Myanmar businessman Aung Moe Myint, the son of a military officer who it said facilitated arms deals including for missiles and aircraft, as well as a company he founded, Dynasty International Company Limited, and two of its directors.

Reuters was unable to reach Aung Moe Myint for comment.

The action freezes any US assets of those designated and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

Blinken in a statement cited Myanmar’s execution of four activists in July and a deadly attack on a school by a military helicopter last month. He also pointed to a role the three people sanctioned on Thursday allegedly played in obtaining Russian-produced arms from Belarus.