Top companies' Myanmar exit unlikely to badly damage junta, say analysts

A signboard for TotalEnergies EP Myanmar is seen past a shuttered gate in Yangon on January 22, 2022, after energy giants TotalEnergies and Chevron said they would leave Myanmar following pressure from human rights groups to cut financial ties with the junta since last year's military coup.- AFP

BANGKOK, Jan 22, 2022 (AFP): The exit of energy titans TotalEnergies and Chevron from Myanmar's billion dollar gas industry has been hailed by rights groups, but analysts say it will not significantly weaken the generals and may even enrich the military in the short term.

Both firms had faced pressure to cut financial links with the junta that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's government last year and has since killed more than 1,400 people in a crackdown on dissent, according to a monitoring group.