5/22/22, 10:09 AM Myanmar rights groups complain to OECD over Telenor sale | Financial Times complaint to Norway s national contact point under the OECD s guidelines for multinational enterprises. “Telenor [also] failed to engage with relevant stakeholders in relation to the sale of Telenor Myanmar to M1 Group.” The 474 civil society organisations that endorsed the complaint have remained anonymous because of what they called “extreme rights abuses” by Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s junta since it toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. The Amsterdambased Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, a non-profit group, submitted it on their behalf. Of the telecoms companies operating in Myanmar, Telenor was generally regarded as the most committed to transparency and human rights in the run-up to the coup and afterwards. Telenor published junta demands to interrupt services or block access to content before being ordered by the regime to stop doing so. Telenor wrote off the entire $782m value of its investment in May. Human rights groups, journalists, and activists have voiced concerns that the business’s new owners might be less vigilant in resisting censorship and protecting customers’ data. “Telenor’s decision to exit is a big disappointment to those in Myanmar who care about digital rights and responsible business practises,” said Vicky Bowman, director of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business. “Before it took the decision, it did not engage with its Myanmar users to find out their views.” Telenor confirmed that it had received a notification of the complaint from the OECD national contact point in Norway, and said it would be responding to it. It said it remained committed to complying with OECD and UN guidelines on business and human rights. The company said that its exit from Myanmar had been “a very difficult decision”, and that before taking it it had spoken to a broad base of stakeholders, including local and international civil society organisations. “We have thoroughly evaluated all options and conducted a due diligence on potential buyers in this process,” Telenor said. “Human rights impacts including data privacy have been a key part of our considerations leading up to the decision to sell, in addition to employee safety.” In Myanmar, junta forces have arrested almost 7,000 people and killed more than 900 since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a leading human rights group. https://www.ft.com/content/f7631bfb-25b5-48d8-9c15-39650c6b7f85 2/3