The videos coming out of Myanmar today are horrific. There’s evidence that the military killed dozens of peaceful protesters, including at least one person in a close-range execution. Reports are that the security forces killed dozens of people in the worst daily atrocity since the military coup.
The brave young people of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) are demanding an end to military rule. They are leading a boycott of all military owned businesses. Let’s back up their call to us to impose tough and targeted sanctions on the military, including its business empire.
Your actions work. Using our power as consumers, we have already forced both Western Union and Japanese beer giant Kirin to end their partnerships with the Myanmar military. So let’s all take four actions today to end corporate collaboration with the security forces.
Action #1: End the Myanmar military’s trade in #GenocideGems
Myanmar produces more than 90% of the world’s rubies and jade. The Myanmar military’s extensive commercial interests in gemstone extraction and trade mean that the military profits when high-end jewelry retailers – like Harry Winston (owned by Swatch) – buy Burmese gems for their collections.
Would you also help us track down the jewelers who are selling gems from Burma? Search online for jewelers who are selling Burmese rubies or jade. If you find on sale, jewelry containing rubies or sapphires labeled as Burmese or from Myanmar, email us a tip at [email protected].
Action #2: Stop the flow of oil and gas money to the military
Sign – and share – our petition demanding that Chevron stop bankrolling the Myanmar military.
As Myanmar’s generals look for revenues to prop up their new dictatorship following the February 1 coup, there’s one source of money they can count on: natural gas projects backed by foreign investors including Chevron of the US, France’s Total, South Korea’s Posco, China’s CNOOC, Australia’s Woodbridge, and Malaysia’s Petronas.
The Myanmar regime earns close to US$1 billion a year from natural gas sales.Much of this money is not paid directly from oil companies to the government. It flows through Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), a state-owned enterprise with deep links to the military’s business empire. Alarmingly, the military coup places MOGE and the rest of the government under direct military control.
Action #3: Demand Cloudflare Stop Protecting the Military
Sign our petition to demand that Cloudflare stop protecting military websites.
Cloudflare provides website services for the military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs and Myanmar police force. Cloudflare protects and shields the websites of the security forces that are attacking, injuring, and killing young people peacefully protesting on the streets.
Action #4: Demand that Facebook completely ban the Myanmar military
Facebook still lets the military use Facebook to promote its companies and products.
The military’s profits from its business empire help fund the Burmese army’s march towards its genocide of the Rohingya and its atrocities against the Kachin, Shan, Karen, and other ethnic minorities in Myanmar.
Action #5. Make a gift to build our movementWe can and must build our pressure on Myanmar’s military. Your actions have moved your governments to pass tough sanctions and successfully pressed companies, such as Facebook, Western Union, online jeweler Angara, and Kirin Brewing, to end their business partnerships with the Burmese military.
Your gifts will help us keep building the campaigns and tools that we need to take effective action together. Please click here to make a gift of $30, $60, $120, $250, or more.
Together, we can build our movement to end the Myanmar military’s corrupt and brutal rule.Thank you so much,
Simon Billenness, Executive Director
For the International Campaign for the Rohingya: Debbie Stothard, Jack Rendler, J. Mark Brinkmoeller, Simran Stuelpnagel, Michael DeLong, Alyson Chadwick, and Hannah Sussman.
And in the memory of our late co-founder and board chair emeritus, Joseph K. Grieboski.
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For Further Reading:
“Partial ban on military Facebook pages welcomed by Burma Campaign UK,” Burma Campaign UK, 25 February 2021
“Facebook has continued to fail Myanmar. Now its people have to pay the price.,” Media Matters, 25 February 2021
“Sanction Myanmar Military, Not Myanmar People,” Justice For Myanmar and Burma Campaign UK, 5 February 2021
“How to squeeze Myanmar’s military without hurting its people,” Southeast Asia Globe, 12 February 2021
“Who Profits From a Coup? The Power and Greed of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing,” Justice For Myanmar, January 2021
“Dirty List” of companies doing business with the Myanmar military, Burma Campaign UK
“Military Ltd,” Amnesty International, September 2020
“Will Myanmar’s ‘Genocide Gems’ Become the New Blood Diamonds?,” BusinessWeek, October 17, 2018
“No Genocide Gems! Burmese Military Takes a Hit From Citizens Sanctions,” International Campaign for the Rohingya blog
“Cloudflare must terminate its services for the Myanmar military,” International Campaign for the Rohingya and Burma Campaign UK, 8 February 2021
Follow the up-to-the-minute news on Twitter using these hashags: #CivilDisobedienceMovement #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #JusticeForMyanmar
Subscribe to Frontier Myanmar’s excellent daily coverage from inside the country.