Tun Min Latt (; born 6 February 1969) is a Burmese

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

associated with the Star Sapphire Group of Companies. He is known for his close ties to the Myanmar's junta leader,

Min Aung Hlaing Min Aung Hlaing (born 3 July 1956) is a Burmese army general who has ruled Myanmar as the chairman of the State Administration Council, chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) since seizing power in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Fe ...

, and is an arms dealer for the

Burmese military The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence (Myanmar), Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air For ...

Early life and education

Tun Min Latt was born in

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

on 6 February 1969 to Khin Maung Latt and Win Kyi. His father Khin Maung Latt is a retired lieutenant-colonel in the

Myanmar Air Force The Myanmar Air Force (, ) is the aerial branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide transport, logistical, and close air support to the Myanm ...

and former director-general at the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

Business interests

Tun Min Latt runs the Star Sapphire Group of Companies, a local conglomerate, with interests in casinos, hotels, mining and power companies. Star Sapphire has joint ventures with both of Myanmar's military-run conglomerates, Myanma Economic Holdings Limited and

Myanmar Economic Corporation The Myanmar Economic Corporation (; abbreviated MEC) is one of the two major conglomerate (company), conglomerates and holding companies operated by the Tatmadaw, Burmese military, the other being the Myanma Economic Holdings Limited. The U.S. Tre ...

. Tun Min Latt runs several hotels in the Thai-Burmese border town of

Tachileik Tachileik (also spelt Tachilek; , ; , ; , , ) is a border town in Shan State of eastern Myanmar. It is the administrative seat of Tachileik Township and Tachileik District and most populated city in eastern Shan State with 51,553 residents per 201 ...

in Shan State, including the Allure Resort casino. Six percent of the casino's income is distributed to the

Myanmar Armed Forces The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services includ ...

. He expanded his business interests to neighbouring Thailand in partnership with Upakit Pachariyangkun, a Thai senator. In August 2022, the British government sanctioned Star Sapphire to limit the Burmese military's access to arms and revenue. In March 2023, the American government sanctioned Tun Min Latt, his wife, and his associated companies. In September 2022, Thai authorities arrested Tun Min Latt and three Thai nationals, including the son-in-law of Thai senator Upakit Pachariyangkun, on

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

and

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

charges, following a police raid. Thai authorities posit that Tun Min Latt laundered funds derived from illicit drug sales and converted the money into electricity commodities that were then exported to Myanmar through Upakit's Allure Group (P&E). Following the arrests, Kritsanat Thanasupanat, lead investigator of the

Metropolitan Police Bureau The Metropolitan Police Bureau () is a unit in the Royal Thai Police, and is responsible for maintaining security in Bangkok - the capital of Thailand. There are a total of 14 divisions (command units) and 2 direct divisions which report directly ...

, was involuntarily transferred to a remote post in Chaiyaphum province. During the September 2022 raid of Tun Min Latt's Bangkok apartment, authorities seized in assets, including luxury cars, watches and bags. Tun Min Latt is closely associated with

and his family. The raid unearthed $1 million in assets owned by Min Aung Hlaing's children, including

Aung Pyae Sone Aung Pyae Sone () is a Burmese business tycoon who owns a number of major companies, including Sky One Construction Company and Aung Myint Mo Min Insurance Company. He is also reportedly the biggest shareholder in national telecoms carrier Myt ...

's title to a Bangkok property, and

Khin Thiri Thet Mon Khin Thiri Thet Mon (; born 5 December 1981), also known as Ma Thiri (), is a Burmese businesswoman and daughter of Burmese army general Min Aung Hlaing, the current prime minister and Chairman of the State Administration Council which has ruled ...

's bank records. On 30 January 2024, Criminal Court of Thailand acquitted Tun Min Latt on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, citing insufficient evidence to prove the charges.

Personal life

Tun Min Latt is married to Win Min Soe (b. 1969), and has two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tun Min Latt Living people 1969 births Burmese businesspeople Individuals related to Myanmar sanctions People from Yangon