Taking solidarity action on Myanmar

A number of global companies have long financed Myanmar’s brutal military, maintaining ties despite years of human rights violations. Many others, however, have now found themselves tied to the regime in the wake of the coup. 

The military’s takeover of public Ministries and other state entities means that global corporations who previously dealt with legitimate government bodies are now in joint ventures with, leasing land from or paying taxes and other fees directly to the military junta. 

Companies must take action to ensure that they are not funding violations.

What’s the situation in Myanmar?

On February 1st, the military staged a coup, imposing a one-year national emergency and handing power over to its commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing. Civilians in the country, which is also known as Burma, have faced curfews, internet blackouts and ongoing refusal of their democratic and civil rights. The military has unlawfully detained Aung San Suu Kyi, who - although internationally criticised for her denial of the Rohingya genocide - won a 70% majority in the recent election. 

The coup follows a long history of violence and suppression by the Myanmar military, which ruled the country as a dictatorship from 1962 – 2010, and has remained powerful in the decade since. It has been the perpetrator of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim population of Rakhine state – causing over 700,000 people to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. 

In the last few months, the country has seen widespread pro-democracy protests and strikes, as well as a growing Civil Disobedience Movement, which has called for a widespread domestic boycott of military-owned companies. 

Security forces have used water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition against demonstrators. On the 27th March, over 100 protestors were killed, in the deadliest day since the coup.

The role of international companies

Funding the military

Despite their repeated and ongoing human rights abuses, “international companies have played a crucial role in enriching the military,” over previous decades, says Mark Farmaner from Burma Campaign UK. 

International companies have been involved in Myanmar since 1988, when Ne Win’s military government was overthrown by a second military coup. Ne Win had faced widespread unrest in the country over the steep decline of the economy, as well as his authoritarian rule. In order to shore up power and grow their military arsenal, his successors overturned his economically isolationist policies and invited foreign investment into the country. 

Global conglomerates like Total and Chevron moved in. At the time Myanmar law stated that all foreign investors had to form a joint venture with the state, thereby forming close ties between the companies and the military.

“Over time, the military has expanded to control vast portions of the Myanmar economy, consolidating its grip on the country,” Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for Justice For Myanmar agrees. “It obscures its economic influence through a sophisticated network of holding companies, private companies, shell companies, and crony companies, in some cases obfuscating their deep ties to business.”

“Every one of the military companies has benefited from international finance, equipment, expertise,'' Mark says. “There is not a single military company we know of that didn’t have international support.”

The situation has significantly worsened with the military takeover of the government, as government bodies have become military controlled. Campaigners point out that there are several different ways in which companies can now be tied to the military:

• Companies that have remained in joint ventures, held contracts or had other ties with military enterprises and bodies throughout.
• Companies that formed ties with military enterprises or bodies under the previous dictatorship, which then transitioned to democratic government control during the 2010s, and are now under military control again. 
• Companies that never previously held ties with the military, but were in joint ventures, held contracts or had other ties with democratic government bodies, which are controlled by the military since the coup. 

Company ties

Although some companies have very direct ties with the military (such as Total - see below), many other companies may be supporting its regime more indirectly. For example, HSBC, Samsung and BMO are all accused of financing POSCO, a South Korean company and major financier for the military. Although POSCO was reviewing its dividend payments and joint ventures with the military as of end May 2021, it had not taken action at the time of writing. 

Others stand accused of selling directly to the military. For example Tata Sons (which owns stakes in a number of independently-run Tata companies, including the owner of the Tetley, Tea Pigs, Landrover and Jaguar brands) was accused in 2018 of selling equipment to the military including cars used by generals. It has failed to comment on ongoing supply relationships, according to Mark from Burma Campaign UK. 

Huawei has been accused of selling cameras to the military, which are being used for facial recognition. The cameras come installed with a technology (not owned by Huawei) that automatically scans faces and vehicle number plates, alerting authorities to those on a wanted list.

Below is a list of  accusations against some of the world's biggest companies currently operating in Myanmar. 

This research was updated in April 2022. It is based on the Burma Campaign UK's  Dirty List (updated March 2022), research by Justice For Myanmar and articles by other news outlets since the coup.

In the past year, campaigners have seen several significant victories, with oil majors withdrawing from the country. We have added a table of successes below.

Since we first published the table in June 2021, new companies have been added to the list. They are in the table below.

The campaign has had some success, with some companies taking action to withdraw. These successes are in the table below.

Stories behind the involvement

Other industries are also implicated

The International Campaign for the Rohingya is calling for a consumer boycott of jewellery company Harry Winston and its owner, Swatch. The campaign states “Myanmar produces more than 90% of the world’s rubies and jade [...].  Because it dominates Burma's gemstone industry, the Myanmar military profits when high-end jewellery retailers – like Harry Winston (owned by Swatch) – buy Burmese gems for their collections.” Find out more on our boycott list page.

Clothing brands and the links with Myanmar

New report finds labour and human rights abuses continue for garment workers

Myanmar’s garment workers have experienced a sharp increase in labour and human rights abuses since 1st February 2021 when the country’s military illegally seized power, according to a new report from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.

The report is based on over 100 cases of abuse perpetrated against at least 60,800 garment workers, including attacks on freedom of association, reduced wages and wage theft, arbitrary arrests and detention, and gender-based violence. Labour activists in particular have suffered as many have participated in the country’s Civil Disobedience Movement to demand an end to the dictatorship.

The military has responded to opposition and dissent with deadly force. According to the report at least 55 trade union activists have been killed and hundreds arrested. Others have been forced into hiding or silenced due to fear of repercussions.

Factory owners have colluded with the military by sharing union member lists and photographs, and have taken advantage of the coup to curtail labour rights, cutting wages and driving workers to meet increased production targets.

The cases involved factories supplying global fashion brands including adidas, H&M and Primark. The report calls on them to take action to guarantee that workers’ rights are respected and where they cannot do so, to make plans for a responsible exit.

Read a summary and access the report from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre website.

What should consumers do?

Although the situation is complex, there are many actions consumers can take. 

1. “Consumers have a key role to play in boycotting companies doing business with the Myanmar military,” Yadanar from Justice For Myanmar says. 

Companies that you may want to boycott include: Tata (Tetley, Tea Pigs, Jaguar and Landrover), Hilton Hotels, DHL and Huawei. 

2. Ensure your money isn’t inadvertently funding the regime.

Justice For Myanmar has published a spreadsheet of all public companies financially supporting the junta. It is calling for institutional investors including pension funds “to use their leverage to convince their investee companies to act responsibly, and to divest from those companies if they do not act responsibly.” 

If you’re a member of a pension fund, you can use the spreadsheet to check against your pension fund’s holdings. 

272 members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) have already written to the UK university pension fund. Its letter is a great model of how you may want to engage.

Likewise, EIRIS CRN has published a spreadsheet of companies operating in Myanmar - including well-known brands like H&M, Apple and Colgate Palmolive. It is calling on consumers to use the spreadsheet and “Ask your bank, pension, or other fund managers if they invest directly or through other investment funds in companies operating in Burma/Myanmar”: banks, pensions and other investors could play a significant role in ensuring that companies adequately assess their impact on citizens in the country. 

3. Contact companies. 

For companies with ties to the military, let them know you are boycotting the company until they stop funding the regime, and demand action on social media, via phone or via email.

For companies without known ties to the military, contact them asking what they’re doing about the situation.

“Consumers could ask brands a) are you sourcing from Myanmar? b) what is your position on Myanmar? How do you ensure you’re not providing any direct or indirect support with the military regime? How do you deal with your commitment vis-a-vis the workers? ” Koen from Fair Wear says. 

The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar is publishing a table of actions taken by states, companies and pension funds, so you can check on there to see what the latest updates are before contacting a company. 

4. Follow Justice For Myanmar and Burma Campaign UK’s calls to action. 

Both organisations are publishing regular updates on their sites, including petitions. 

• justiceformyanmar.org
• burmacampaign.org.uk

5. Take political action.

Political action is also vital, whether that is staging a protest outside Total’s headquarters or writing to your MP to ask what their stance is on sanctions. 

“Slowly we are seeing the pressure on the Myanmar military and its business empire through domestic boycott movements, targeted economic sanctions and businesses terminating partnerships with the Myanmar military,” Yadanar from Justice For Myanmar says.

“The military is feeling the heat of the multiple, international and domestic action against its business interests. Coordinated, targeted economic sanction and an end to business partnerships with the Myanmar military is key to dismantling their business empire.”