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After eleven weeks in the post, the Myanmar crony Ko Ko Latt voluntarily tendered his resignation as Iceland’s Honorary Consul to Myanmar and the position was formally withdrawn effective May 15, the Icelandic foreign ministry has confirmed to Justice For Myanmar.
The withdrawal comes after the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs launched a review into Ko Ko Latt’s business with the military junta, including EU sanctioned entities, which Justice For Myanmar raised in a letter to Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir on March 27 that demanded the position be revoked.
In the letter, Justice For Myanmar detailed Ko Ko Latt’s business dealings with the illegally junta controlled Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) and the military conglomerate Myanma Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), which are both subject to EU sanctions that are in force in Iceland.
MTE is a lucrative revenue earner for the junta through the sale of timber, including Myanmar teak, which is in high demand internationally. Timber purchases from MTE help finance the junta’s campaign of terror against the people of Myanmar, which it has intensified in the lead-up to its sham election and through its subsequent rebranding.
The junta uses revenue from MTE and other state-owned enterprises it illegally controls to purchase the arms and aviation fuel that it needs to carry out its widening attacks, including indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling that slaughter civilians, destroy hospitals, schools and places of worship, and cause mass displacement, while the junta weaponises and systematically obstructs aid. These attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure amount to ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity, which the junta commits with total impunity.
MEHL is directly owned by the very generals and military units committing international crimes, and is used as a vehicle for their personal enrichment and to sustain the systemically corrupt and brutal military.
The appointment of Ko Ko Latt also awarded false legitimacy to an illegal military junta that has been rejected by the Myanmar people, who continue to courageously resist after more than five years. Ko Ko Latt had presented his letter of consular commission to the junta’s then foreign minister Than Swe on February 23, 2026.
Ko Ko Latt responded to Justice For Myanmar’s letter to the Icelandic foreign minister by stating that the honorary consul accreditation process began “during the previous government” and he denied having any business dealings with MEHL and MTE.
A report Justice For Myanmar has published today shows that Ko Ko Latt’s denials are directly contradicted by his own company documents, records from junta agencies, and information from Ko Ko Latt’s own social media accounts and company websites.
The report shows that Ko Ko Latt, through the K K Business Group that he owns and leads:
- Operates Central Hotel in Yangon on a fifteen-year lease from MEHL, confirmed in an import permit application Ko Ko Latt himself signed and submitted to the junta’s commerce ministry in December 2025. Ko Ko Latt claims that his involvement with Central Hotel is limited to a fried chicken restaurant.
- Became the biggest purchaser of timber from MTE in 2022 and 2023 out of more than 40 companies, based on leaked timber auction records on file with Justice For Myanmar.
- Has been exporting timber internationally following the military's coup attempt and MTE sanctions. Verified exports found in commercial trade databases include multiple teak shipments to Turkey, which is a known transit route for illegal Myanmar timber to enter the EU. Ko Ko Latt claims his businesses have never purchased timber from MTE and that he is not a timber trader.
- Expanded his business following the military’s coup attempt, establishing among others, an aviation services company and a company registered for the extraction of oil and gas. Aviation, even when civil, is a known high-risk sector that often serves the Myanmar air force, while oil and gas extraction is one of the junta’s biggest foreign currency earners.
- Has been doing business through an account with Myanma Foreign Trade Bank, which is sanctioned by the USA, Canada and Australia, according to K K company documents submitted to the junta.
Justice For Myanmar calls on the USA, UK, EU, Canada and Australia to respond to K K Business Group’s continued business with the junta and undermining of existing sanctions on MEHL and MTE by imposing targeted sanctions on K K Business Group and its principals, including Ko Ko Latt.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: "Iceland’s decision to appoint an honorary consul to the illegal junta demonstrated an incredible lack of due diligence, and the fact that the person chosen for the role was Ko Ko Latt was a serious failure in Iceland’s implementation of EU sanctions.
"Iceland has done real harm through its honorary consul appointment, which awarded false legitimacy to the junta and backed a crony whose business helps fund the junta’s international crimes.
"We welcome Iceland’s quick resolution in response to our call for the honorary consul position to be revoked and this should set a precedent for other governments to follow.
"Ko Ko Latt’s business with MTE and MEHL has been enabled by a lack of sanctions against him and his conglomerate. Justice For Myanmar calls on the EU, USA, UK, Canada and Australia to sanction K K Business Group and its directors and owners, including Ko Ko Latt.”
Editor’s note:
Comment from Ingileif Friðriksdóttir, aide to the Icelandic foreign minister, to the Icelandic public broadcaster RÚV and published in English on April 8: “As Iceland does not maintain an embassy, the foreign service has over 200 unpaid consuls around the world. They are selected based on recommendations from three parties and, where appropriate, opinions are sought from Nordic embassies in the relevant locations. This is intended to ensure that suitable candidates are chosen for the role. If a person is found to have violated Icelandic law, including trade sanctions, whether because the Ministry for Foreign Affairs overlooked something in the appointment process or subsequently, that person is relieved of their duties as consul. The Ministry received a submission from the organisation Justice for Myanmar stating that Iceland’s consul in Myanmar has business relations with companies linked to the authorities in Myanmar, including companies that are on the European Union’s sanctions list. The sanctions in question have been incorporated into Icelandic law. The matter is under review by the ministry.”
Comment from Ægir Þór Eysteinsson, Press Officer, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, to Justice For Myanmar: “On 12 May Mr. Ko Ko Latt tendered his voluntary resignation as Honorary Consul of Iceland in Myanmar. His appointment was formally withdrawn effective 15 May.”
More information:
Read our report into how Ko Ko Latt’s businesses benefit the Myanmar military junta here
