Burma Campaign UK welcomed U.S. sanctions imposed on Mytel, a telecommunications company operated by the Myanmar military and Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence, on Monday. It called on the U.K. and the E.U. to follow suit by sanctioning Mytel on Jan. 6.

“Mytel is a jewel in the crown of the Burmese military business empire, and the time for sanctioning the company is long overdue,” said Mark Farmaner, the director of Burma Campaign UK. 

The U.S. government stated that its most recent sanctions targeted Mytel, as well as 11 Chinese companies and one Pakistani company, for actions contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy. 

It added that Mytel has been sanctioned for financially supporting the Myanmar military, which is responsible for human rights violations, war crimes, and for surveillance technology targeting Myanmar’s 54 million citizens.

Besides Mytel, Myanma Post and Telecommunication (MPT), Qatar’s Ooredoo Myanmar and ATOM Myanmar (formerly Telenor Myanmar), which became the newest telecoms operator in 2021 as Norway divested its Myanmar operations after the regime in Naypyidaw ordered all four companies to activate surveillance technology. 

The telecoms sector in Myanmar liberalized in 2013, which allowed Ooredoo and Telenor to join MPT and compete in the market in 2014. Mytel became the fourth and final operator when it was established in 2017. 

Burma Campaign UK added that the British government had initially led sanctions targeting the Myanmar military’s income and arms supply routes, but the frequency of new sanctions has significantly decreased over the past two years, with only two new sanctions imposed in 2024.

Mytel operates under Telecom International Myanmar Company Limited, a joint venture between the Myanmar military and Vietnam’s Viettel. It was launched in 2017, with the opening ceremony attended by Senior General, and current regime leader, Min Aung Hlaing. 

The military profits from Mytel through rental fees for constructing communication towers and other infrastructure. Mytel reportedly provides perks to military generals and thousands of free SIM cards to military families and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government ousted in the 2021 military coup.

Vietnam’s Viettel is listed on the Burma Campaign UK Dirty List for financially supporting Myanmar’s military. Justice for Myanmar, a whistleblower group, has published numerous reports on Mytel, exposing corruption and nepotism within the company.