Burma Campaign UK today welcomed a decision by the USA to sanction Mytel, a mobile telecoms company which is a joint venture between the Burmese military and Vietnamese telecoms company Viettel.
The USA sanctioned Mytel without the usual public announcement and notifications on 6th January 2025. Details of the designation are available here.
Viettel is owned by the Vietnamese military and is on the Burma Campaign UK ‘Dirty List’ because of its links to the Burmese military. The listing is available here.
Mytel is the operating brand name of the joint venture, which is Telecom International Myanmar Company Limited. It is one of the highest profile Burmese military-owned companies but has evaded sanctions until now as the Burmese military has a less than fifty-percent stake in the company.
Min Aung Hlaing, head of the Burmese military, personally attended the launch of the company in 2018. Mytel has not only provided revenue to the military through profits, but also through leasing of land from the military for towers and other infrastructure. Members of the Burmese military and their families receive kickbacks, and free sims are given to soldiers in the Burmese military.
Justice for Myanmar has produced a detailed report on Mytel and exposed corruption and nepotism at the company. Details are available here.
“The British government and European Union must now follow the USA and sanction Mytel,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “Mytel is a jewel in the crown of the Burmese military business empire, and the time for sanctioning the company is long overdue.”
The British government initially led the world on mobilising targeted sanctions against sources of revenue, arms and equipment to the Burmese military, but in the past two years the pace of new sanctions has slowed significantly, with only two new sanctions rounds last year.