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While Adani Group denies $290 million port deal with Myanmar’s military, reports reveal opposite stirring anger

AsiaWhile Adani Group denies $290 million port deal with Myanmar’s military, reports reveal opposite stirring anger

According to investigational agencies, Gautam Adani, an Indian multinational conglomerate has been engaging with Myanmar’s military leaders in a 290 million port deal.  An investigative report by Australia’s ABC news network revealed recently that the Adani Group has a deal with a company controlled by Myanmar’s armed forces.

A joint report by the Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ) and activist group Justice For Myanmar (JFM) claims that Adani Ports is paying $52 million to MEC. Documents filed with Myanmar’s corporate regulator show Adani bringing in $141 million “capital in-cash” and $148 million “capital in-kind” for the project.

Per the documents, Adani Ports is paying $30 million to MEC as land lease fee and another $22 million as land clearance fee.

Myanmar’s military seized Myanmar in a coup and committing atrocities, genocide, and crimes against humanity even shooting down little children, evidenced by the people of Myanmar and United Nations investigation teams, so this information is stirring up rage towards Adani’s new deal.

Since February 2021 when the military forcibly seized power in Myanmar, 500 people were massacred by the military gunning down civilians not sparing even children when civilians protested against the military’s coup to topple civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and detained her in an undisclosed location.

Based on a report published by human rights activists and lawyers, the investigation alleged that Adani Ports is developing a container port in Yangon in association with Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC)—funded by the military junta.

Due to the atrocities of the Myanmar military forces, the US imposed economic sanctions on MEC after the military detained elected leaders, seized power in a coup, and shot down civilians.

According to a report from Quint, presently, Adani is facing the heat from right-wing groups, human activists, and advocacy bodies that have accused the conglomerate that it could be indirectly financing the Myanmar military to conduct international crimes.

A human rights lawyer Rawan Arraf and co-author of the reports said that the documents were leaked from the Yangon Region Investment Commission after the violent military coup on February 1.

He told ABC,  “What these documents reveal in particular is the amount that was provided to the MEC, a Myanmar military conglomerate that is controlled and owned by the Myanmar military (which) stands credibly accused and is being investigated at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and even in the case of the crimes against the Rohingya genocide.”

“The concern here – as has been publicly stated by the United Nations fact-finding mission — is that these military conglomerates provide essential financial revenue streams directly to the Myanmar military,”

“Adani has been publicly put on notice several times, and they have refused to disengage from their Myanmar deal with MEC and that is a real problem. This money could be indirectly financing the Myanmar military to conduct international crimes,” Arraf added.

However, in February the Adani Group denied that it had engaged with military leaders over the approval granted in 2019 for the $290 million port. “We categorically deny having engaged with the military leadership while receiving this approval or thereafter,” a spokesperson from the Adanai group told ABC.

However, according to videos uploaded on YouTube by the Myanmar military as well as state media reports, Adani Ports CEO Karan Adani met top general Min Aung Hlaing in late July 2019.

Notably, General Hlaing, accused of war crimes, can be seen exchanging gifts during a visit to Adani port at Gujarat’s Mundra. However, an Adani Ports spokesperson said that Hlaing’s visit was hosted by the Indian government and he was accompanied by government officials. The spokesperson also said that Mundra was only one location out of the multiple sites visited by the General.

A spokeswoman for the Future Fund told the ABC if Adani were a US company it would now be “moving very quickly to review and suspend their operations because of the very serious implications that they could be in violations of sanctions laws”.

“The concern here — as has been publicly stated by the United Nations fact-finding mission — is that these military conglomerates provide essential financial revenue streams direct to the Myanmar military.”

While there are global calls to deal with Myanmar’s military reign of terror, it is extremely alarming if the Adani Group is directly funding the Myanmar military.

Also Read: Modi Govt’s new law through privatization will take away legal rights of job reservations

 

 

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