Notorious Myanmar Arms Broker Convicted of Cash Smuggling in Singapore
By The IrrawaddyJanuary 8, 2024
in Burma
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Kyaw Min Oo, owner of Sky Aviator.
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Kyaw Min Oo, a US-sanctioned arms broker for the Myanmar military, has been convicted of attempting to leave Singapore with over half a million in unreported Singapore dollars, according to the island state’s police force.
The founder of Sky Aviator Co. Ltd. tried to leave Changi airport without declaring S$ 508,925 (around US$ 400,000) in cash.
Two other Myanmar nationals, Wai Sar Tun and Win Myin, abetted him by carrying a portion of the cash, the Public Affairs Department of the Singapore police force said in a January 5 statement.
Wai Sar Tun was carrying S$ 250,000 in cash belonging to Kyaw Min Oo in one bag and Win Myint was carrying S$ 249,000 of the arms broker’s money in a second item of luggage. Kyaw Min Oo was found with S$ 9,925.
Authorities said the three men knew the amount they were moving out of Singapore exceeded the prescribed limit of S$ 20,000 but had failed to report to a Singapore immigration officer.
The offense carries a maximum jail term of three years and/or a fine of up to S$ 50,000.
Kyaw Min Oo was fined S$ 10,000 while Wai Sa Tun and Win Myint were fined S$ 5,000 each.
“As everyone knows, he [Kyaw Min Oo] is a partner of U Tay Za who has been involved in dirty businesses supplying the [Myanmar] military for years,” said U Paing, a businessman in Yangon.
Kyaw Min Oo was smuggling the money either to evade sanctions while moving cash between countries, or to fund illegal deals, U Paing said.
“Only people who have to make hand-to-hand payments in illegal deals or trades would carry such a large amount of cash in hand,” he said.
Kyaw Min Oo, who previously worked for crony tycoon Tay Za, and his company Sky Aviator, supplies equipment for jet fighters and helicopters purchased by Myanmar’s military from Russia and Ukraine.
He registered five companies in Singapore from 2015 to 2017 and reportedly stepped down from all of them in 2022 after activist group Justice for Myanmar leaked a letter he sent to the air force chief in August 2019.
He and his company were sanctioned by the United States in November 2022.
