Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Wednesday thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for pulling the plug on American-funded broadcasters that had long been a thorn in his side for their factual reporting.
Responding to a letter Trump sent this week announcing 40 percent tariffs on goods from Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing instead thanked him for “regulating broadcasting agencies and funds”—referring to deep cuts Trump made to U.S. state media Voice of America and Radio Free Asia that had provided independent coverage of conflict-wracked Myanmar.
“Assessments influenced by one-sided misinformation and distorted narratives ultimately led to the imposition of economic sanctions on Myanmar,” the junta boss claimed in the letter.
Myanmar’s junta has waged a relentless campaign against press freedom since its coup in February 2021, turning the media landscape into one of the most repressive in the world. The country is now the second worst jailer of journalists behind only China.
VOA and RFA’s Burmese services were among a number of media outlets dedicated to covering Myanmar as well as elsewhere in the region where factual coverage is hard to come by, but their operations were halted in mid-March after Trump ordered budget cuts to seven federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media that funded them.
The move was the second recent blow to media covering Myanmar after Trump’s shutdown of USAID, the agency on which many of the country’s independent media organizations in exile had relied for funding.
Min Aung Hlaing also asked Trump to consider “easing and lifting economic sanctions on Myanmar.”
They cover the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB)—two state-owned banks used by the regime to purchase arms and other goods in foreign currencies—as well as Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprises and others.
Min Aung Hlaing was among the recipients of wake-up letters sent out earlier this week from an impatient White House, apparently intended to force trading partners to negotiate. Trump has slapped Myanmar along with Laos the highest rate—40 percent, effective from Aug 1.
After more than four years of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation, especially from the West, Ming Aung Hlaing was apparently so happy at what may seem like Trump’s first recognition of his existence that the economic question took second place.
Industry insiders worry that the apparel industry, which employs nearly 800,000 workers, would be hit particularly hard by the tariffs. The U.S. is currently the fourth-largest export market for Myanmar’s cut-make-pack (CMP) industries, which include garment, bag, and shoe manufacturing.
But bilateral trade as a whole is modest. In fiscal 2023–2024, it totaled $ 701.9 million, but that dropped to $ 588.3 million last year, a decline of $ 113.6 million.
The junta boss in his letter proposed a reduced rate of 10–20 percent, saying he is ready “to send a high-level negotiation team to Washington” if needed.
Min Aung Hlaing also groveled before “Trump’s strong leadership in guiding his country towards national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot.”
The putsch leader took the opportunity once again to challenge the legitimacy of Myanmar’s 2020 election results, which the junta claims were marred by widespread fraud—a claim that remains unsupported by credible evidence.
He claimed the 2021 coup was not a military takeover, while the military only “temporarily assumed [the] state’s responsibilities” in accordance with the country’s constitution. He blamed the media for “distorted” reports about the situation in Myanmar, which he said finally resulted in sanctions.
In a further bid for sympathy, he added that Myanmar is still one of the least developed countries but has experienced numerous disasters over the past few years, from the pandemic to devastating floods, cyclones, and an earthquake.
