Total: “We have taken the call to limit the income going to the military junta. We have tried everything to reduce this.”

Energy giant, Total was forced to justify its response to the Myanmar coup to shareholders yesterday amid growing pressure from international campaigners to halt payments to the military regime.

Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting, Total’s chairman and chief executive Patrick Pouyanné said the company “condemned violence and the human rights violations that have taken place in Burma”.

Pouyanné said he was outraged by the coup.

He argued the “only way to stop the flow of cash going to the state of Burma is to stop production”.

“But as a company we have to abide by the law,” he concluded.

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