When the citizens in Myanmar understood that the money from the companies, they trusted was now in the hands of the military authorities they despised, they collectively decided to speak up.
The military, took control of Myanmar’s government and bank accounts in February, including those that collect hundreds of millions of dollars each year from different companies.
Myanmar’s popular outcry for penalties on gas earnings has become louder in recent months. Activists initiated the ‘Blood Money Campaign’ in August, marching through the streets with posters reading ‘Freeze payments to the junta and save Myanmar,’ risking their lives. Others used social media to upload images of individuals with posters that said, ‘Total, Chevron — Stop accessory to murder.’
Millions of people across Myanmar are imposing personal sanctions, UN’s top expert on human rights in Myanmar reported, by withholding taxes, refusing to pay power bills and boycotting military-related businesses.
On November 30, hundreds of Myanmar civil society organisations joined their international counterparts in signing a letter to Total’s CEO, requesting that payments to military-controlled accounts be halted.
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