Designation of the Burmese Regime’s Military Aircraft Suppliers

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Burma’s military regime has waged a brutal campaign of violence against the people of Burma, carrying out lethal air strikes against the political opposition and the broader civilian population.  On October 23, the regime carried out one of its deadliest aerial bombings since the coup, firing upon an ethnic community gathering in an attack that killed as many as 100 people and claimed the lives of artists, performers, and concertgoers in Kachin state.  We stand with the people of Burma in the face of the regime’s increasingly brazen attempts to terrorize and intimidate them, while suppressing their aspirations for a democratic, inclusive, and prosperous future.

Today, the United States is taking additional actions against those who enable the regime’s violence, particularly its repeated air assaults and killing of civilians.  The Department of the Treasury is designating Sky Aviator Company Limited and its owner and director, Kyaw Min Oo, pursuant to Executive Order 14014, for operating in the defense sector of the Burmese economy.  Under Kyaw’s control, Sky Aviator is a key supplier of military aircraft parts to Burma’s military.  Since the February 2021 coup, Sky Aviator has received multiple arms shipments from sanctioned entities.  Kyaw has also facilitated foreign military officers’ visits to Burma as well as the import of arms and other military equipment and provided assault helicopter upgrades.

The United States will continue to work with our partners to promote justice and accountability for the regime’s human rights abuses and deprive the regime of the revenue and resources it uses to commit atrocities against the people of Burma.

For more information on today’s action, please see the Department of the Treasury’s press release.