“If everything remains the same and money is still going to the abusive military junta, then all that Total has done is absolve itself of responsibility, which might be good for their souls, but it's not good for the people of Burma."
John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, has expressed concern that while on the face of it the stated withdrawal of the French energy giant Total from Myanmar might appear welcome, it may not in the end have the desired effect of stopping gas production. That job could be handed to a local company.
In an interview with AFP, Sifton expressed concern over the turn of events.
"We would have preferred if Total had pressed harder to have the United States and the EU to do what they needed to do, which was impose sanctions that would allow Total to stay but not pay money. Because that was the issue: the issue was you either leave or a government sanctions you, forcing you to put the money into an escrow, or tells the bank to hold the money and that way, Total wouldn't be to blame.
"Because if everything remains the same and money is still going to the abusive military junta, then all that Total has done is absolve itself of responsibility, which might be good for their souls, but it's not good for the people of Burma.
"Whether sanctions are imposed or not, Total's decision to leave will have some economic impact on the junta and it will also signal to other companies that are thinking about business in Myanmar, it will signal to them that this is not an atmosphere that you want to operate in.
"What's needed are sanctions that target a foreign currency revenue and most of that is from gas from mining, gemstones, timber, wood, teak wood. And if the banks that process those payments can be sanctioned, not the banks sanctioned, but have the payments under sanctions, banks will freeze the money, that will incur real pain on the junta, they will recognize that the costs of continuing their abuses are too great to bear.
"Don't just leave. Try to figure out a way that you can get the United States, the EU and others to impose sanctions that will set the stage for you to either leave or to stop paying the junta, or both. But either way money stops. Because if the money keeps going because some other company is handling the gas, then a withdrawal isn't really that important in the grand scheme of things.
"Should the United States have done more? Yeah. President Biden should have pressed harder on President Macron to reach an agreement on this, but ultimately it was the EU and the government of
France which failed here, it was ultimately their call and they failed to do what so many had asked for them to do. "
