REUTERS
Timothy Gardner
April 28, 2021
Timothy Gardner
April 28, 2021
Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (L) gestures as he is welcomed upon his arrival ahead of the ASEAN leaders' summit, at the Soekarno Hatta International airport in Tangerang, on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, April 24, 2021. Courtesy of Rusman/Indonesian Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to slap more sanctions on the military junta in Myanmar, including choking revenues to a state energy company, in response to its coup and violent crackdown on protesters.
Senators Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Republican, and four others urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a letter to "explore new avenues to support the people of Burma in their ongoing struggle for democracy in the face of escalating crimes against humanity."
They want the Biden administration to stop royalties flowing from businesses including U.S. energy major Chevron Corp(CVX.N) to Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, or MOGE, an agency within the Energy Ministry. MOGE provides financial support to military leaders, including General Min Aung Hlaing, already under U.S. sanctions.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on the nomination of Former Senator Bill Nelson to be NASA administrator, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 21, 2021. Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
MOGE is a partner in Yadana, a natural gas field in which Chevron has a 28.3% stake.
Human rights groups have urged energy companies including Chevron and Total (TOTF.PA) to cut ties to Myanmar after the military ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, detaining her and cracking down on protesters. More than 750 people have since been killed.
Gas revenues from joint ventures involving companies like Total and Chevron are the most significant single source of foreign exchange revenue for the Myanmar government, generating cash payments of about $1.1 billion annually, the senators said.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Senate Rules and Administration committees joint hearing on Capitol Hill, Washington, U.S. February 23, 2021, to examine the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Erin Scott/Pool via
They proposed the ventures pay revenue into a trust to be held until Myanmar has a democratically elected government or to be used for humanitarian purposes, according to the letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.
A Chevron representative saidany diversion of revenues or taxes owed to MOGE into an escrow account "could be considered a breach of contract and potentially put employees of the joint venture partners at undue risk of criminal prosecution."
Total did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The State and Treasury departments did not immediately respond.
Chevron paid around $50 million to Myanmar between 2014 and 2018, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which works to increase transparency in international business.
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