By Ra Wai / MPA

Import licenses under the junta regime are being granted exclusively to business tycoons with intimate ties to military generals, according to a Yangon-based electronics business owner.

The military junta has imposed strict control over import licenses, granting them only to business tycoons who collaborate with the regime.

A business owner told MPA, “People like us, who lack connections, never get approved, no matter how many applications we submit. We have to rely on products imported by the big tycoons, making it nearly impossible to earn enough profit. Since we can’t import goods ourselves, we’re forced to buy from those who have licenses.”

The names of the tycoons receiving these licenses have not been disclosed.

“The so-called ‘elders’ are only working with trusted business tycoons, keeping everything secret. They don’t want to reveal who has been granted licenses,” the source added.

In January, as electricity shortages worsened, the junta issued import licenses for solar-related products. Many electronics business owners applied, but only those with close ties to the regime received approvals.
“In 2025, they raised taxes on exports and imports, so we assumed they would loosen licensing restrictions. Instead, they issued licenses selectively—to those connected to them,” the business owner said.

To stabilize the domestic dollar market, the junta has tightened import license distribution. Additionally, starting Jan.1, 2025, taxes on exported and imported goods have been calculated based on the market reference exchange rate rather than the Central Bank’s official exchange rate for the US dollar.