4/4/22, 12:08 PM Telenor sale of Myanmar unit stalls as junta seeks local buyer participation -sources | Reuters Activists have expressed alarm that Telenor's exit could deepen the junta's surveillance of the local population. It is one of four telecom operators in Myanmar, alongside Qatar's Ooredoo (ORDS.QA), state-backed MPT and Mytel, which is part-owned by a military-linked company. A Reuters investigation found telecom and internet service providers had been secretly ordered in the months before the coup to install intercept technology that would allow the army to freely eavesdrop on the communications of citizens. Telenor said in September it was pulling out of the country to avoid European Union sanctions after “continued pressure” from the junta to activate the technology. Since the Feb. 1 coup, Myanmar security forces have killed more than 1,200 people and arrested thousands in a bid to crush resistance, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local non-governmental organisation. The military seized power alleging widespread fraud in a November election won by a landslide by the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. International and local monitoring groups said there were no major irregularities with the vote. The junta has imposed nationwide and regional shutdowns of mobile data, making it harder for pro-democracy activists to organise protests. It also issued a confidential order in July restricting senior foreign telecom executives from leaving the country without permission. Shortly after the ban, security forces stopped a top Telenor Myanmar foreign executive at the airport, preventing the executive from travelling, according to two people with knowledge of the incident. Telenor declined to comment, citing safety concerns for individual employees. Aung Naing Oo, the military’s investment minister, told Reuters in October Telenor executives had been “requested” not to leave the country pending regulatory approval of the unit's sale. He said at the time the sale was undergoing a screening process, noting M1 was a relative newcomer to Myanmar and authorities were scrutinising whether it was trustworthy. (Corrects paragraph 4 to show Shwe Byain Phyu Group's interests include petrol stations, not oil) Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Poppy McPherson in Bangkok and Fanny Potkin in Singapore; Editing by Edwina Gibbs My View Following Saved https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/telenor-sale-myanmar-unit-stalls-junta-seeks-local-buyer-participation-sources-2021-11-09/ 3/12