Thai MP Upakit and Tun Min Latt

 Thai MP Upakit and Tun Min Latt

The scandal involving Thai Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun and Myanmar tycoon/arms broker Dr. Tun Min Latt plays out like a movie plot. These two are not recent acquaintances; they have been business partners for over 20 years. Their relationship began in 1999 during the Myanmar military government era, sparked by a signed agreement to open the Allure Resort and Casino in Tachileik. At that time, Dr. Tun Min Latt’s father, U Khin Maung Latt (a former Air Force Lieutenant Colonel), served as the Director General of Hotels and Tourism, ensuring their ties to military circles were deeply rooted.

The story became even more intriguing in September 2022 when Dr. Tun Min Latt was arrested in Bangkok. Arrested alongside him was Dean Young Gultula, Senator Upakit’s son-in-law. Among the assets seized from Dr. Tun Min Latt were title deeds for a luxury Bangkok condo owned by Aung Pyae Sone (son of Min Aung Hlaing) and bank books belonging to Khin Thiri Thet Mon (the General's daughter). This discovery highlighted just how deeply the scandal reached into the family of the SAC Chairman. The primary allegation was that the Allure Group was used as a front to wash drug money by masquerading as a business purchasing electricity from Thailand to supply Myanmar.

Whether international intelligence agencies like the CIA were aware of this is a compelling question. In reality, the CIA constantly monitors regional drug and arms trafficking, especially financial flows related to the Myanmar military, which is under U.S. sanctions. While they rarely make their investigations public, the fact that the U.S. and UK imposed sanctions on Dr. Tun Min Latt and his Star Sapphire Group suggests they possessed solid intelligence. Specifically, reports from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) are often based on data from the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

However, from a legal standpoint, a Thai court released Dr. Tun Min Latt and Upakit’s son-in-law in January 2024, citing insufficient evidence. Later, in May 2025, former Senator Upakit himself was acquitted by the court of money laundering and transnational crime charges. Upakit maintained that he was wrongfully accused and that he only knew Dr. Tun Min Latt as a business advisor. Regardless of the legal outcome, this case remains a significant event that exposed the complex web between the Myanmar military’s financial routes and influential figures in neighboring countries.

Note: In 2022, when I posted about this incident, my account was first temporarily suspended. It was restored after I provided an explanation, but later, the post was permanently deleted.