French oil and gas group Total SE and US energy company Chevron Corp have suspended some payments from a gas joint venture that would have reached Myanmar’s junta, earning praise from democracy advocates for taking an important first step.
International companies doing business in the country have come under pressure from rights groups and Myanmar’s parallel civilian government to review their operations to stop payments flowing to a military government that seized power on Feb. 1.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the army overthrew the elected government and detained its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the junta has responded with brutal force to daily protests, marches and strikes nationwide in support of the ousted civilian administration.
In a statement, Total said “in light of the unstable context in Myanmar”…
