Hi,
WE DID IT! After we grew our petition to over
100,000 signers urging Total and Chevron to suspend payments to the
Myanmar military, our allies in Myanmar, Korea, France, and the US
shared it and used it in advocacy meetings with the companies and
governments.
And it worked! After months of pressure, Total and
Chevron just announced they will withdraw their business from
Myanmar.
With allies, we translated the petition into Burmese which
gave people from Myanmar a platform to have their voices
heard. Even Burmese people working for the energy companies
stood by our ask.
And with partners and activists, we organized
demonstrations across the US and delivered our voices
directly to the companies – including at the Chevron AGM. Through a
shareholder resolution filed by allies, Burmese human rights
defender Khin Ohmar delivered our call through a video that was
presented at the AGM and viewed by shareholders and
executives alike.
Similarly, in its press release, Total noted that it felt
pressure from shareholders and from people inside Myanmar and their
allies around the world.
Vladimir, it is thanks to supporters like you that we
were able to build up pressure that eventually forced the companies
to withdraw their support to the murderous Myanmar
military.
We also took our message directly to the US Treasury Department,
calling on the US to place sanctions on the state-owned oil and gas
company, MOGE -- the main financial lifeline for the brutal Myanmar
military. We delivered a briefing and exchanged emails with
Secretary Yellen’s staff and parked a mobile billboard right
outside the Treasury Dept. in DC while we tweeted at their handle to
go look outside. We then shared our campaign and written
materials with Senator Merkley’s staff who were in the process of
writing a letter to the Biden administration calling for sanctions
on MOGE.
SumOfUs and allies demonstrating
outside Chevron HQ in DC
Activist holds petition
placard
SumOfUs tweet at Secretary Yellen
highlighting our mobile billboard parked outside the US Treasury
Department calling for sanctions on the state-owned oil and gas
company, MOGE -- a major funder of the murderous military
regime
Burmese human rights defender Khin Ohmar
delivering our message through a shareholder resolution at the
Chevron Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Our work isn’t over yet – the Myanmar military
is one of the most brutal regimes in the world. From its genocidal
attacks on the Rohingya to the recent bloody coup which has killed
over 1400 people and forced millions into a humanitarian crisis –
now more than ever we must keep up the pressure on the US, France,
and other governments to suspend economic ties with the military
until democracy is restored.
Will
you retweet our image calling on the Treasury department to
sanction MOGE? It will help keep up the pressure on the Biden
administration right when we need it.
That’s it for now. Thanks again for all your support.
