Human Rights Watch believes that the controversial Telenor sale should be investigated by the Storting.
Myanmar’s military junta has killed more than 900 people and carried out nearly 7,000 arrests since the February 1 military coup. The country’s champions of democracy are being hunted down in a systematic way. Monitoring of mobile data is one of the tools used when the military junta is to crack down on all opposition resistance in the country.
Call history can be a good tool when the oppressors have to unravel in the networks of the oppressed.
This is the backdrop when Telenor now sells its mobile business in Myanmar. Telenor’s withdrawal after seven years in the country arouses both attention and disgust among international human rights organizations and pro-democracy activists.
Myanmar democracy activists have considered Telenor Myanmar to be the “safest” mobile provider in the country. Telenor has been praised for opposing the military junta’s demand to hand over mobile data, but the Asia branch of Human Rights Watch points out to Nettavisen that “using a mobile phone in Myanmar is becoming much more dangerous”.
Also read: Telenor sells its mobile operations in Myanmar
Sold to billionaire on «dirty list»
In July, the news broke that Telenor is selling Telenor Myanmar to the controversial investment company M1 Group, which is founded by the Lebanese billionaire Najib Mikati and his brother Taha. M1 Group has been a major mobile player in authoritarian regimes such as Yemen, Syria, Liberia and Sudan. M1 Group is also accused of having close ties to the military junta in Myanmar, which was also mentioned in a UN report from 2019.
The Burmese Committee in the UK placed the dollar billionaire Mikati and the M1 Group on its «dirty list»Already in 2019. This is a list of people and companies doing business with the violent generals in Myanmar.
Mikati is also listed on Forbes riching list with an estimated fortune of $ 2.9 billion ($ 25 billion).
Telenor’s information manager, Tormod Sandstø, informs Nettavisen that the sale needs approval from local authorities before the transaction is completed. Only then will M1 Group take over operations, customer relationships and user data.
– Selling the business in Myanmar has not been an easy decision. We have carefully considered all possible alternatives, but we can no longer continue in Myanmar according to the values and high standards we have set for our business in an increasingly demanding situation, says Sandstø to Nettavisen.
Also read: Girl (7) in Myanmar killed by police in front of the rest of the family
– The Storting should investigate the process
The Norwegian state is the main shareholder in Telenor with an ownership share of 53.97 percent, according to Telenors annual report 2020. The Ministry of Trade and Industry, with responsible Minister Iselin Nybø (V), manages this ownership.
– The Norwegian government has been far too silent about what they did, what they did not do and what they do in connection with this agreement. This restraint is the complete opposite of what we saw when Telenor offered and won the contract to operate in Myanmar, says Deputy Director of the Asia Department of Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson, to Nettavisen.
– The Norwegian parliament should initiate an investigation of the entire process, and use the government’s often repeated statements about human rights – friendly foreign policy as standard, Robertson says.
The activist group Justice For Myanmar also criticizes both Telenor and Telenor’s main shareholder.
– Telenor’s sale puts many in Myanmar, who are fighting heroically for freedom and democracy, in direct danger now that the military is stepping up surveillance and expanding its terror campaign. As the largest Telenor shareholder, the Norwegian government is responsible for the damage Telenor’s sale will cause, and they must be held accountable for their actions. We urge the Norwegian government to exercise its power as Telenor owner to stop this ruthless and irresponsible sale before it is too late, says spokesman for Justice For Myanmar, Yadanar Maung, to Nettavisen.
Transfer all responsibility to Telenor
However, there is little indication that there will be any reversal of sales on the initiative of the ministry.
– The situation in Myanmar is very serious for the population, and there have also been very demanding trade-offs for Telenor, writes communications adviser at the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries, Yngve Angvik, in an e-mail to Nettavisen.
Also read: New video from Myanmar: – Stopped ambulance and beat up health personnel with rifle butt
– Can the Ministry of Trade and Industry, as the main shareholder, exercise active corporate governance and reverse the sale?
– The Ministry of Trade and Industry exercises state ownership in Telenor in accordance with the state’s principles for corporate governance, including the division of responsibilities and roles in company legislation, Angvik writes.
– The company’s board and management are responsible for the management of the company, including assessments and decisions related to the company’s investment in Myanmar. Questions about the sale of the business in Myanmar should therefore be directed to the company. Telenor has stated that they have considered all possibilities and that they believe that the sale of the business is the best possible solution in this situation, writes Angvik.
– Will hardly respect privacy
Both Justice For Myanmar and Human Rights Watch fear that M1 Group will hand over user data from Telenor Myanmar’s 18 million subscribers to the military junta once the transaction is completed.
– There is no reason to expect that M1 Group will respect users’ privacy or that they will commit to any responsible business, says Yadanar Maung in Justice For Myanmar.
– It is obvious that the immediate and biggest concern now is that the privacy of Telenor’s customers is in danger of being revealed by a new company that is more than willing to run the military junta’s errands. Telenor should explain in detail what they are doing to deal with the legitimate concerns related to mobile users’ data and their right to privacy, says Phil Robertsen in Human Rights Watch.
Also read: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cut million support: – We need the Burma Committee more than ever
Telenor assures that M1 Group will not have access to what has been said and written by mobile customers.
– All telecommunications networks generate user data that contains important information for maintaining the services, such as the time and place of a telephone call. This user data does not contain information about the actual content of the communication and Telenor therefore has no data about what is said in a telephone conversation or what is written in a message or e-mail, says Sandstø.
Complained to the OECD
At the end of July, Telenor became complained to the OECD Contact Point here in Norway. As many as 474 civil law organizations are behind the complaint. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Telenor did not carry out a satisfactory company review of M1 Group, that Telenor did not consult sufficiently with interest groups before the sale and that Telenor has shown little transparency during the process itself.
Telenor says they do not agree with the criticism leveled at the OECD complaint.
– But we share the organizations’ concerns about the serious situation the country is in and we support the OECD contact point with facts and clarifications, Sandstø says.
Also read: Kjell Magne Bondevik: – I noticed that Aung San Suu Kyi was deep down
Sandstø adds that Telenor has committed itself to complying with the OECD’s guidelines for multinational companies and the UN’s guiding principles for business and human rights, and that this is in line with Telenor’s values and standards.
– These are the same values that are now the reason why we have to leave Myanmar, Sandstø says.
– Racist and discriminatory
M1 Group adviser Joe Issa-el-Khoury describes the criticism of the group’s acquisition as “racist and discriminatory”. He said in an interview with Financial Times at the end of July that the M1 Group will in no way take any action that is contrary to human rights.
– The Myanmar people would be left with two choices, says Issa-el-Khoury and refers to Telenor’s withdrawal.
– Either it is a group from the Middle East that is willing to take risks, or it is the state that takes over, he says.
Also read: Absurd dance video captures historic military coup – takes off completely on the internet
Issa-el-Khoury did not want to comment on how the M1 Group will respond to any demands from the military junta.
“Let us not worry about expectations, but rather wait to see what the authorities may require,” he said.
Telenor says they had no better choice than to withdraw from Myanmar.
“Selling the business was the least disadvantageous alternative for our 730 employees, 18 million customers and our many suppliers, who are not only going through a humanitarian and human rights crisis, but also a national economic disaster with few opportunities for improvement,” says Sandstø.
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