Justice for Myanmar (JFM) has called on the Swiss government to impose sanctions on Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), which operates under the military council’s control. JFM pointed out that Switzerland has failed to implement sanctions on MOGE even after more than three years since the European Union imposed its sanctions on the highly profitable state-owned enterprise.
Switzerland has created a loophole by allowing Swiss companies to use the Swiss financial system to facilitate MOGE and its partners’ continued operations in Myanmar’s oil and gas sector. This undermines the effectiveness of EU sanctions. JFM suggests that rather than implementing its own sanctions, Switzerland should enforce international sanctions imposed by the EU, UN, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe through its trade embargo law.
The oil and gas sector represents the military regime’s largest source of foreign currency income. The regime uses these revenues to purchase weapons, jet fuel, and other supplies necessary for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the military council’s own figures, Myanmar’s natural gas exports generated $841.7 million from the first quarter through June 2023. The military council uses these funds to continue its violent operations against civilians, including airstrikes and bombardments that have forced over 3.5 million people to flee their homes.
JFM’s spokesperson Ma Ratana Maung stated that Switzerland should stand with the people of Myanmar and urgently impose sanctions on MOGE. She emphasized that more than four years after the military’s illegal coup attempt, their violent operations have only intensified, funded by the oil and gas sector. The spokesperson highlighted how the military council uses gas revenues to purchase weapons and jet fuel needed for their indiscriminate aerial attacks and bombardments that have caused mass casualties and displacement. She noted that Switzerland’s three-year delay in sanctioning MOGE has created a dangerous loophole that not only undermines US and EU sanctions but also signals to Swiss companies that they can continue business as usual in Myanmar’s oil and gas sector. The spokesperson urged Switzerland to close this loophole by fully implementing EU sanctions.
