Myanmar junta thanks Trump after recognition in tariff letter

YANGON: Myanmar's military leader lauded Donald Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, the junta said on Friday (Jul 11) after a tariff letter from the United States president believed to be Washington's first public recognition of its rule.

Min Aung Hlaing endorsed Trump's false claim that the 2020 US election was stolen, and thanked him for shutting down funding to US-backed media providing independent coverage of conflict-wracked Myanmar.

The military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected civilian government in 2021, plunging the country into civil war.

The US State Department sanctioned the junta chief and others for using "violence and terror to oppress" the Burmese people and "denying them the ability to freely choose their own leaders".

US diplomats do not formally engage with the junta, but Trump sent a letter to Min Aung Hlaing by name on Monday telling him the US would impose a 40 per cent tariff from Aug 1, down from a threatened 44 per cent.

"It's certainly the first public indication I've seen of US acknowledgement of MAH and the junta," said Richard Horsey of the International Crisis Group.

Any earlier private communications "would almost certainly not have been from Trump, of course", he told AFP.

Min Aung Hlaing seized the opportunity to respond with a multi-page letter released in both Burmese and English by the junta information team on Friday.

In it, he expressed his "sincere appreciation" for Trump's letter and praised the US president's "strong leadership in guiding your country toward national prosperity".

He sought to justify the military's seizure of power, saying: "Similar to the challenges you encountered during the 2020 election of the United States, Myanmar also experienced major electoral fraud and significant irregularities".

Both Voice of America and Radio Free Asia - created by the US with a mission to deliver news in countries without free media - have shut down their Burmese-language operations since the Trump administration cut their funding.

Min Aung Hlaing said he "sincerely appreciated" Trump's move.

The junta is increasingly dependent on its allies China and Russia for economic and military support.

Min Aung Hlaing asked Trump to "reconsider easing and lifting the economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar", and sought a tariff of 10 to 20 per cent.

He thanked Trump for the "encouraging invitation to continue participating in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World".

Trump's punitive tariff letters have left many nations scrambling to secure last-minute deals with Washington before they come into force next month.