April-June

• Boycott PTT

PTTEP, or PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited, is a Thai state-owned oil and gas company that operates in Myanmar (also known as Burma). The company has been facing criticism for its business activities in the country, particularly its involvement in natural gas extraction and pipeline projects. We are also raising awareness among the Myanmar people in Thailand to boycott and avoid PTT products. Given the current situation in Myanmar, we have called for a boycott of PTTEP products, such as PTT lubricants and PTT-owned Cafe Amazon, in the country. This is because PTTEP is supporting the military regime by continuing to do business in Myanmar despite  human rights abuses and political instability.  Boycotting PTTEP products in Myanmar is one way for individuals to take a stand against the military regime and to support the cause of democracy and human rights in the country. 

By boycotting PTTEP products, we encourage the people to send a message that they do not support the company's actions in Myanmar and to show solidarity with all of us  who are struggling for democracy and human rights. Also, we raised awareness that if you don't buy PTTEP products, you can put pressure on the company to rethink its business in Myanmar and do things in a more ethical and responsible way. Also, we look at data about PTT products in Myanmar and send the results to the organizations. We also tell people in Myanmar and Thailand to boycott PTT's products and services. The public got involved in reviewing and commenting about PTT affiliates in Myanmar on their social media platforms. In addition, we did a campaign “changing the names of PTT on Google Maps,” which is to shame PTT.

• Sanction MOGE and PTT to stop payments to Junta.

Two companies that have come under scrutiny in this regard are MOGE (Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise) and PTT (PTT Public Company Limited), both of which have ties to the military regime in Myanmar.  MOGE is a state-owned enterprise that controls the country's oil and gas sector. It brings in a lot of money for the military regime, which has used that money to pay for its harsh actions. PTT, on the other hand, is a Thai state-owned oil and gas company that has significant investments in Myanmar's energy sector. By calling for sanctions against MOGE, we are seeking to stop payments to the military junta and to pressure these companies to cut ties with the regime. This could include financial sanctions, limits on trade and investment, and other steps meant to make it harder for the regime to get money and resources.  For the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar, it is important to get the word out that MOGE and PTT need to be punished.

Calling for sanctions against MOGE and stopping payments to the Junta is one way to raise awareness. Other ways to do this include spreading information through art, graphic design, and videos on social media, signing petitions, and working with other people and groups to join us and push for action. By working together, individuals and organizations can help put pressure on these companies and support the struggle for democracy and human rights in Myanmar.

• Awareness-raising, Networking and Communication

Networking and communication are two of the critical strategies of our campaign. We build relationships and alliances with local and international organizations, individual stakeholders, and social influencers so that we can be a movement that calls for sanctions against MOGE and for payments to stop.  We use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, and websites to share news, updates, and calls to action that help spread information about campaigns and draw more attention to them. We held events and meetings to bring people and organizations together and give our campaign a boost. We also talked to stakeholders and people involved in international mechanisms to push for sanctions against MOGE. We write and send open letters and use online tools such as email campaigns and online petitions. 

• Third Global Call

From March 11-19, BMC launched the “third global call” which aims to get attention to “sanction MOGE” and “stop payment to Junta”. from the international community, the media, the companies, and the public.  In the third global call, we used many platforms to reach out to the international community and corporations. The activities we use in this global call are online photo strikes, on-ground strikes by collaborating with the strike groups that are running on the ground, Twitter trending, Comment campaigns, mass calling and mailing, and media press. We also sent a letter of demands to President Joe Biden, collaborating with more than 100 local and international organizations.

• Sending open letters and petitions

We sent open letters and petitions to the 49th G7 summit with the endorsement of 191 local and international organizations and unions, all together with the demands of ensuring that the junta does not gain legitimacy as the GOvernment of Myanmar, Enacting and enforcing targeted sanctions of cutting off all revenue streams, including MOGE, and Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and enacting and enforcing sanctions that target aviation fuel on May 15.

We also sent letters to PTT investors with messages that there can be no responsible investment in companies that not only fund atrocity crimes, but actively mislead investors over their ability to divert revenues and the impacts of doing so for over two years, compounding this by acting as a roadblock to sanctions. It is implausible that any human rights due diligence that PTT and PTTEP may claim to undertake can address this.

• Campaign ( G7 summit) 

From May 19 to 21, we did a campaign targeting the G7 summit with slogans of stopping junta airstrikes on civilians, not legitimizing the junta, and enacting sanctions on MOGE and MFTB. In that campaign, Myanmar people in  Japan, Italy, Israel, and the grassroot level of Myanmar civilians got involved by protesting online, taking part in photo demonstrations, and trending on Twitter. 

• Database of ESG investments

We (BMC), in collaboration with IDI, developed a dataset of ESG investment that is funding the Myanmar military and complicit in the blatant atrocities of the junta, which, on the other hand, is in violation of ESG principles. We synthesize and analyze data into a comprehensive framework to advocate for corporations to take business and human rights principles into action.

• Strategic Review

In the month of June, BMC and other alliance organizations and groups reviewed the campaign strategies and sought new approaches to PTT and the Thai government by meeting with ALTSEAN - Burma, Earthrights International, ETO Watch, and NUG. We also drew new activities and work plans to be approached for Sanction MOGE by the US, UK, and Canada governments.

• Recent Results and impacts related to our campaign

Improved global awareness: the campaign could raise awareness among  local and international communities about the relationship between the oil and gas sector and the junta, especially MOGE, PTTEP, the situation in Myanmar, and the need for action to protect human rights and democracy. PTT responded to our campaign by closing the comment and review sections on Facebook and removing their location from Google Maps. 

Increased pressure on the companies and the Junta The US imposed sanctions on the director and deputy director of MOGE on January 31, 2023. Nikkei Asia News says that PTTEP has put off a new project that was supposed to cost $2 billion and include power generation. PTT also said in December that it would stop storing fuel in Myanmar for its oil and retail businesses. Due to the exit of the companies, MOGE cannot operate the projects alone. MOGE has struggled to secure financing due to Western sanctions against the company and its executives. The military junta is losing  a major source of foreign currency, and the development of gas fields stagnates. 

In the third global call, the Myanmar and international communities from more than 21 countries protested and marched with the chants “Sanction MOGE” and “Stop Payments to Junta” globally during the campaign dates. More than 200,000 people from the international community were engaged on social media platforms. More than 100 local and international organizations got involved in that call. At the same time as our campaign, the National Unity Government (NUG) said that it might take legal action against the Thai state-owned PTT Exploration and Production Public Company (PTTEP) on March 20.

On April 28, 2023, the Norwegian central bank excluded two oil and gas companies, namely GAIL and KOGAS from its USD 1.4 trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, citing ethical concerns over their ties to the Myanmar military. South Korea’s state-run Korea Gas Crop (KOGAS) and Indian gas firm GAIL (India) Ltd were excluded from the fund due to unacceptable risk that companies contribute to serious violation of individual’s rights in situations of war or conflict and companies’ business collaboration with an organization affiliated with the military in Myanmar. 

On April 13, ENEOS Holdings announced that their withdrawal from the Yetagun gas project in Myanmar had been approved on April 12 ( by an illegitimate military junta). Malaysian company Petronas has been the operator of the Yetagun gas project, under a partnership with MOGE, PTTEP and ENEOS, and Nippon Oil Exploration.

• Challenges

There are several challenges that we face when calling for sanctions and suspending payments. 

Governments don't want to punish MOGE, and PTTEP makes up reasons not to stop sending money to the Junta. Because governments such as the US have close economic and political ties with Thailand, and PTT benefits from the oil and gas industries in Myanmar, the international political climate also affects the campaign. Limited public awareness and resources are crucial challenges in our campaign. For example, we call for a boycott of PTT products, but for the public, there are very few options to substitute its products. We run our campaign heavily on social media, so it is challenging to reach people who don’t have internet access.