Justice for Myanmar welcomes charges against Telenor; Blood Money Campaign warn about offshore oil revenue

Whistleblower group Justice For Myanmar (JFM) has welcomed news of charges brought by police in Norway against Norwegian telecommunications giant Telenor over alleged sanctions violations and complicity in crimes against humanity linked to its operations in Burma—following the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 up until it sold off its operations and exited the country in March 2022. “Telenor must be held fully accountable for the harm it caused, including in aiding and abetting the junta’s arbitrary arrests, torture, killings and executions through knowingly providing it with personal data,” Yadanar Maung, the JFM spokesperson, stated in a press release on Sept. 16. Norwegian police searched Telenor’s headquarters in Fornebu, Norway, on Sept. 15—the same day charges were filed. The International Commission of Jurists Norway jointly filed a complaint against Telenor with JFM in December 2024, alleging that the company breached Norwegian sanctions regulations by maintaining and transferring surveillance equipment to a military-linked buyer when it exited Burma. The complaint was rejected without investigation before a further complaint was filed in October 2025. NLD calls for ‘inclusive’ talks on International Democracy Day The National League for Democracy (NLD) party’s Central Executive Committee called for immediate dialogue, the end of violence against civilians, and the release of all political prisoners in Burma in its statement to mark the International Day of Democracy on Tuesday. “Only an inclusive political process can lay a solid foundation for peace, national reconciliation, and the establishment of a federal democratic union,” the NLD stated on Sept. 15, adding that it “respected” those who have sacrificed their lives in the fight for democracy in Burma. Duwa Lashi La, the National Unity Government (NUG) acting president, repeated this message on Sept. 15, stating that the regime in Naypyidaw must be “uprooted” to establish a federal democratic union in Burma. The NUG was established with support from NLD lawmakers elected in 2020 but ousted in the 2021 coup. Activists warn about offshore oil revenue and Russian deals The Blood Money Campaign told DVB that an offshore natural gas site called the “Min Ye Thu project” in Block M-10 located in the Gulf of Martaban off the coast of Tanintharyi Region in the Andaman Sea, is expected to begin providing foreign currency to the cash-strapped regime in Naypyidaw by 2028. “If production begins as planned, the revenue will provide funding that helps sustain military rule,” a member of the Blood Money Campaign told DVB, adding that the entire financial system that supports the regime needs to be dismantled. It also warned that another exploration site, Block M-15, will become another key source of foreign currency for the military. The regime’s Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) and the Thai-owned Gulf Petroleum Myanmar (GPM) signed a deal on natural gas extraction in Block M-10 on May 29, 2025. MOGE has been sanctioned by the U.S., E.U., and Switzerland since the 2021 coup for providing foreign currency to the regime. News by Region ARAKAN—The Arakan Army (AA) began compiling lists of eligible males, aged 18-45, and females, aged 18-35, to be recruited in Thandwe Township on Sunday. Both males and females are subject to at least two years of mandatory service if living in territory seized by the AA since it launched its offensive in November 2023. A Thandwe resident told DVB that the AA has been distributing brochures to announce the recruitment drive. This is the second round of forced recruitment by the AA since March 2025. Thandwe, located 160 miles (260 km) south of the state capital Sittwe, was seized by the AA in 2024. MAGWAY—Residents of Myaing Township told DVB that regime forces have been destroying equipment used in oil extraction at oilfields since last week. Myaing, located 130 miles (209 km) north of the region’s capital Magway, has been under the control of local resistance forces since 2024. A regime counteroffensive with 500 troops was launched in June to regain control of the Myaing oilfields. A local civil society group reported on Sept. 11 that at least 12 civilians were killed and 43,000 residents were displaced due to the counteroffensive across Magway in August. SHAN—The Restoration Council of the Shan State (RCSS) began an “open discussion” with the regime’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) in Naypyidaw on Tuesday. The NSPNC has met with three other ethnic armed groups in Shan since August. “We welcome the official invitation to hold discussions to resolve political issues through peaceful, open and unrestricted dialogue” Sao Sai Ngin, the RCSS Secretary 1, stated on Sept. 15. The RCSS signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the military on Oct. 15, 2015. The post Justice for Myanmar welcomes charges against Telenor; Blood Money Campaign warn about offshore oil revenue appeared first on DVB.