Two political activists in Myanmar have been given death sentences by the country's military rulers, who alleged that the activists were engaged in terrorism. The sentences come as some large companies, including Total Energies and Chevron, have announced plans to exit the country.
Myawaddy TV, an army television station, reported Friday that Kyaw Min Yu, known as Ko Jimmy, and Phyo Zeyar Thaw, known as Maung Kyaw, were convicted under Myanmar's Counterterrorism Law, according to the Associated Press, for alleged connections to bombings, explosives and financing of terrorism.
Trial details were unavailable since the proceedings took place in a closed military court, the AP reported. The two activists have been detained since their arrests, with no ability to comment on the allegations.
Kyaw Min Yu is one of the leaders of the 88 Generation Students Group, which had been part of a previous popular uprising that failed to remove a prior military government from power, according to the AP. Phyo Zeyar Thaw is a former lawmaker with Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
Modern-day Myanmar rarely carries out death sentences, the AP added.
Also on Friday, TotalEnergies and Chevron said they would begin to pull out from an offshore natural gas field in Myanmar, The New York Times reported.
The companies cited a deteriorating situation in the country since a military coup ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi almost a year ago, according to CNN.
The two companies, along with state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise and Thailand's PTT Exploration & Production have faced pressure regarding their roles in operating the country's offshore Yadana gas field, according to the AP.
"While our company considers that its presence in a country allows it to promote its values, including outside its direct sphere of operations, the situation, in terms of human rights and more generally the rule of law, which have kept worsening in Myanmar since the coup of February 2021, has led us to reassess the situation and no longer allows TotalEnergies to make a sufficiently positive contribution in the country," TotalEnergies said in a statement.
TotalEnergies said its withdrawal will take place within six months, but Chevron provided no timeframe, saying in a statement to Newsweek they have "reviewed our interest in the Yadana natural gas project to enable a planned and orderly transition that will lead to an exit from the country.
"As a non-operator with a minority interest in the project, our immediate priority remains the safety and well-being of employees, safe operations and the supply of much-needed energy for the people of Myanmar and Thailand."
Approximately 50 percent of Myanmar's foreign currency comes from natural gas revenues, according to the AP.
Last week, data showed that U.S. companies were continuing to buy teak wood from Myanmar as recently as last month, Newsweek reported. A minimum of 82 shipments of teak were reported between February 1 and November 30, 2021.
It is estimated that approximately 1,500 people have been killed and over 11,000 have been arrested for alleged political offenses since the military seized power in February 2021, according to the AP.
Update 01/21 9:45 PM: This story was updated to include Chevron's statement.
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