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Assets of Myanmar’s Junta Chiefs Children Discovered in Bangkok Drug Raid
Officials in Thailand have found assets belonging to adult children of Myanmar’s junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, during a drug raid on the apartment of a Myanmar tycoon in Bangkok who has been charged with narcotics trafficking and money laundering.
Title land deeds and bankbooks belonging to the daughter and son of Junta leader Gen Min Aung Hlaing were found at the apartment of Mr. Tun Min Latt, 53, when he was arrested, along with three Thai nationals on conspiracy to traffic drugs and money laundering.
Mr. Tun Min Latt, who has investments in Thailand, is a close associate of Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in Myanmar in February 2021. He has procured supplies for Myanmar’s military, the sources said. Publicly available pictures show Hlaing and Latt together at the 2019 arms fair.
Mr. Tun Min Latt is currently in pre-trial detention in Thailand; Reuters could not reach his attorney for comment.
Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s children face no legal action over the alleged assets, and Thai authorities did not consider them relevant to the case against Mr. Tun Min Latt.
General Min Aung Hlaing’s son Aung Pyae Sone and daughter Khin Thiri Thet Mon, and Min Aung, have been sanctioned by the US and Canada. The United States said they have businesses that “directly benefited from their father’s position as Myanmar’s junta leader”.
The discovery of the title deeds shows close ties between Tun Min Latt and Min Aung and his family.
The activist group, Justice for Myanmar, believes the discovery also indicated that General Min Aung Hlaing’s family was hiding assets in Thailand.
The group has urged the Thai government to take “immediate action to prevent Thailand from becoming a haven for war criminals in Myanmar. Above all, by blocking the Myanmar junta and its members from accessing banks and property and freezing assets that legitimately belong to the people of Myanmar”.
During the raid on Mr. Tun Min Latt’s apartment in Bangkok, police said they had seized $8.96 million worth of assets. Including luxury automobiles and luxury watches, along with US$239,091 in cash.
Police also uncovered title deeds and a purchase contract from 2017 for a 4-bedroom condominium in the name of Mr. Aung Pyae Sone, 38 along with 2 Siam Commercial Bank bankbooks for bank accounts in the name of Ms. Khin Thiri Thet Mon aka Ma Thiri.
The legal document was obtained by the Justice for Myanmar group and independently verified by Reuters.
Since the February 2021 coup, General Min Aung Hlaing’s army has launched a bloody crackdown on anti-junta dissent, killing thousands of people. The United Nations has accused Myanmar’s troops of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The military says it is waging war on “domestic terrorists”.
The 2 people with knowledge of the criminal case, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the assets belonging to General Min Aung Hlaing’s children had been found during the Bangkok raid.
Reuters confirmed that Khin Thiri Thet Mon’s bank accounts have since been closed, but could not determine who closed it or when. The Siam Commercial Bank did not respond to requests for comment.
Thailand’s Royal Thai Police, Thailand’s Narcotics Suppression police and Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office also did not respond to Reuters for comment.
