Australian energy giant Woodside urged to ‘get off the fence’ on Myanmar

“They should commit to not proceeding any further until democracy is restored – at the moment it’s a bit of fence-sitting,” Mr Gocher said.

“They’ve treading very lightly in terms of not condemning the military. They’ve clearly got an eye to the future, [and] they’re concerned that if they’re too critical then they might jeopardise the future of that business.”

Iron ore tycoon Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, who has a human rights foundation that campaigns against modern slavery, agreed that Australian companies should not be investing in Myanmar until democracy is restored.

“All new business should be suspended, and existing investments reviewed, until the military return Myanmar to free and fair elections,” he said in a statement. He said Woodside made the right decision by suspending its operations.

Woodside has rights over nine offshore exploration blocks in Myanmar, has commenced drilling on four sites and owns a 40 per cent stake in the massive A6 offshore gas project in the Rakhine Basin.

Woodside said on Saturday that it did not currently produce any gas or generate any revenue in the country, and nor did it have any “direct commercial arrangements” with organisations connected to the military.

“Woodside condemns human rights violations. Reports of violence against the Myanmar people participating in peaceful protests are deeply distressing,” the statement said.

“We have watched with growing concern since the events of 1 February 2021. Woodside supports the people of Myanmar and we hope to see a peaceful journey to democracy.”

Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti – who was part of the three-person United Nations fact finding mission to Myanmar in 2017 which found members of the military should be prosecuted for genocide against the Rohingya minority ethnic group – said it was acceptable for companies like Woodside to take things one step at a time early in the political upheaval, given there was such widespread opposition to the junta.

“I would certainly hope that if the military becomes entrenched, Woodside and other companies will stay well away,” said Mr Sidoti, whose UN report called for complete economic disengagement with the military. “If that shift is sustained then there is absolutely no way that it can continue. But it is entitled to say, ‘we’ll just stop and see [what happens]’.

“I don’t want all businesses cutting ties to Myanmar entirely, simply because the people of Myanmar are so desperately poor.”

The slated A6 project includes a 265 kilometre pipeline pumping natural gas to Myanmar and Thailand potentially by the end of 2023, and would deliver a significant tax and royalty payments to the Myanmar government, now in control of its military leaders.

The state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise also has the right to take a 20 per cent interest in the project, which is jointly backed by French energy giant Total and local operator Myanmar Petroleum Resources.

Woodside announced it was pausing operations in Myanmar came after a coalition including the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Australian Council for International Development, and Publish What You Pay wrote to chairman Richard Goyder on Friday urging him to take action.

Global giants Chevron and Total, as well as Australian companies Myanmar Metals, Transcontinental Group, ROC and Tap Oil also face calls to review their operations to avoid giving legitimacy or material support to the junta.

The Tatmadaw, or military, justified its coup by claiming – without evidence and disputed by independent election observers – widespread fraud in the country’s November election which delivered a landslide victory to Ms Suu Kyi’s incumbent government.

Among the hundreds of government MPs, election officials, students, journalists, academics and officials arrested is Australian academic Sean Turnell who was an economic adviser to the Nobel peace laureate Ms Suu Kyi.

The United States, European Union, New Zealand and Canada have all announced sanctions again Myanmar military figures and businesses since the takeover. Australia has not taken any action, other than reviewing its foreign aid and military cooperation with the country.