French energy giant TotalEnergies joins push for new Myanmar sanctions

French energy conglomerate TotalEnergies has asked the American and French governments to support targeted sanctions against Myanmar’s oil and gas funds, the largest single source of income for the country’s military leaders.

In a letter to Human Rights Watch released Thursday, the CEO of Total, Patrick Pouyann, said the company was using all the tools at its disposal to stop funding the junta that took over Myanmar’s government and its bank accounts in February 2021, including those that receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year from the Yadana gas field.

Since the takeover, the military has moved against dissent with increasing brutality, abducting young men and boys, killing health care workers and torturing prisoners.