RismadarVoice Reporters
October 10, 2026
The United States has removed Theint Win Htet, daughter of Myanmar businessman Thein Win Zaw, from its sanctions list, following a legal challenge over restrictions imposed on her because of alleged links to her father’s business interests.
The decision was recorded on the US Treasury Department’s website on Friday, October 9, 2026, and comes amid reports of renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Myanmar’s authorities.
Htet’s father founded the Shwe Byain Phyu Group of Companies, a business conglomerate previously accused by US authorities of supplying fuel to Myanmar’s military.
In January 2024, the administration of former President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on the group and members of the businessman’s family.
The Treasury Department alleged that the conglomerate controlled at least 20 companies and maintained close commercial relationships with Myanmar’s military establishment.
Htet subsequently challenged her designation, maintaining that she had no involvement in her father’s business activities.
Her initial legal challenge was dismissed in 2025, but she filed another lawsuit in July 2026 seeking removal from the sanctions list.
According to her legal representatives, the restrictions affected her access to international banking services, including credit cards and foreign accounts, and disrupted her postgraduate studies at Columbia University in New York.
Htet has been residing in Thailand with her mother, who was removed from the US sanctions list in 2025.
Following the latest decision, her lawyer, Erich Ferrari, filed a notice withdrawing the pending lawsuit.
The Treasury Department’s action removes Htet’s designation but does not, by itself, establish that the earlier allegations against her father’s business group were unfounded.
The development has attracted criticism from Justice For Myanmar, an advocacy organisation that investigates financial relationships between Myanmar’s military and private businesses.
The organisation questioned the removal of sanctions on individuals associated with business networks previously identified by US authorities as having links to the military.
It warned that easing such restrictions could weaken international efforts to hold those supporting Myanmar’s military leadership accountable.
The delisting also comes against the backdrop of reports that President Donald Trump’s administration has renewed discussions with Myanmar’s authorities, although the decision alone does not establish a broader change in US sanctions policy.
Washington introduced extensive restrictions against Myanmar’s military leadership and associated businesses following the February 2021 military takeover that removed the country’s elected civilian government.
The takeover was followed by an armed conflict that has caused widespread casualties, displacement and humanitarian hardship.
More than 3.5 million people have reportedly been displaced, while estimates of deaths linked to the conflict vary significantly.
In July 2025, the United States also removed sanctions on several Myanmar nationals and a company previously accused of supporting the military.
The latest decision adds to those earlier delistings, although US authorities have not publicly established that the measures represent a comprehensive reversal of Washington’s policy towards Myanmar.
