প্রকাশ: 22/01/2022
The announcements Friday by TotalEnergies and Chevron have
swelled the ranks of foreign firms that have quit Myanmar after the February
military coup.
As the civilian death toll from the military crackdown has
surpassed 1,500 people, activists have ratcheted up pressure on foreign firms.
Investors piled into the country after the military relaxed
its iron grip in 2011, paving the way for democratic reforms and economic
liberalisation in the country of more than 50 million people.
They poured money into telecommunications, infrastructure,
manufacturing and construction projects.
Now they face either pulling up sticks like TotalEnergies
and Chevron, suspending operations, or continuing with business as usual.
Pulling up sticks
The decisions by TotalEnergies and Chevron to leave were
significant, as the more than $1 billion in fees and taxes they paid to operate
the Yadana gas field in the Andaman were Myanmar's single largest source of
foreign currency revenue, according to Human Rights Watch.
Last year, Norway's Telenor announced it would sell off its
Myanmar subsidiary, which was one of the nation's largest mobile phone
networks, although the deal has yet to be finalised.
This week, it sold its stake in a Burmese digital payments
service.
British American Tobacco, which employed more than 100,000
people in Myanmar before the coup, pulled up sticks in October.
French renewable energy firm Voltalia has also left.
Suspending operations
Japanese carmaker Toyota, which was due to launch
manufacturing at a Myanmar factory last year, put the project on hold.
Myanmar factories became suppliers of many popular clothing
brands over the past decade, but groups such as Italy's Benetton stopped
placing new orders after the coup.
French energy giant EDF has suspended its involvement in a
$1.5-billion project to build a hydroelectric dam, Shweli-3, alongside
consortium partners Marubeni of Japan and Ayeyar Hinthar of Myanmar.
Staying or stuck
Shortly after the military takeover, Japan's Suzuki
suspended production at its two Myanmar factories but then quickly reopened the
facilities, which assemble vehicles for the local market.
French hotel group Accor, which has nine hotels in Myanmar,
said on Friday that it had "made the choice to stay in the country for now
and maintain support for its 1,000 employees on site and for the communities
near the group's hotels."
Accor "came to Myanmar with the hope of bringing
positive change for the population. It is in that spirit that we are maintaining
our presence," the group told AFP in a statement.
"Tourism is vital for Myanmar and remains one of the
last links that connects the Burmese people to the world," the statement
said.
Japanese brewer Kirin has been trying for months to end its
business ties with the Myanmar military, with which it operates two breweries.
After talks hit a wall, it launched arbitration proceedings
in Singapore in December.
Meanwhile, Denmark's Carlsberg, which employs around 450
people in the country, has said it has reduced output as consumption has
declined, but has not announced any plans to leave.
প্রধান সম্পাদকঃ সৈয়দ বোরহান কবীর
ক্রিয়েটিভ মিডিয়া লিমিটেডের অঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠান
বার্তা এবং বাণিজ্যিক কার্যালয়ঃ ২/৩ , ব্লক - ডি , লালমাটিয়া , ঢাকা -১২০৭
নিবন্ধিত ঠিকানাঃ বাড়ি# ৪৩ (লেভেল-৫) , রোড#১৬ নতুন (পুরাতন ২৭) , ধানমন্ডি , ঢাকা- ১২০৯
ফোনঃ +৮৮-০২৯১২৩৬৭৭