27 May 2026 By Ra Wai / MPA
Human rights advocacy groups have officially requested the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand to investigate three major Thai energy corporations over their business links to the Myanmar military junta. The companies—PTT, PTTEP, and Northern Gulf Petroleum—are accused of facilitating revenues that directly support severe human rights violations in Myanmar.
The Blood Money Campaign (Myanmar/Burma) and the Campaign for a New Myanmar jointly submitted a formal complaint to the Thai commission on 25 May 2026. The submission demands an official inquiry into the cross-border human rights impacts stemming from the operations of these Thai oil and gas enterprises.
Rights groups have consistently scrutinized the activities of PTT, PTTEP, and Northern Gulf Petroleum in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup. Activists argue that the substantial revenues generated by these companies bolster the junta’s capacity to commit mass atrocities. They contend these operations violate the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) as well as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
The Blood Money Campaign emphasized that because the Thai government is actively bound by the UNGPs, its own National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, and its ongoing bid to join the OECD, Bangkok must ensure domestic corporations comply with international legal frameworks.
According to advocacy data, PTT, PTTEP, and Northern Gulf Petroleum generate over $1 billion annually for the military regime. This constitutes the junta’s largest single source of official foreign currency revenue, directly underwriting the military’s ongoing nationwide campaigns.
Activists noted that despite escalating violence on the ground, PTTEP is currently negotiating with the junta to expand production at the Yadana and Zawtika gas fields, alongside launching the new Aung Thinkha project. The company is also accused of helping the regime circumvent international financial sanctions.
Concurrently, Gulf Petroleum Myanmar, a subsidiary of Northern Gulf Petroleum, recently signed an agreement with the state-controlled Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) to develop the Min Ye Thein Thu project.
“The military junta exercises total administrative control over MOGE,” said Mulan, a representative from the Blood Money Campaign. “Thailand’s state-owned PTT, its subsidiary PTTEP, and the privately-owned Northern Gulf Petroleum are transferring millions of Thai Baht monthly to the regime. This funding underwrites the daily war crimes and massacres perpetrated against civilian populations, making these corporate entities financially complicit.”
The petition urges the Thai Human Rights Commission to launch a transparent, formal investigation, gather direct evidence from affected communities and civil society organizations, and integrate recommendations from the United Nations Special Rapporteur and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Furthermore, the complaint outlines specific regulatory actions requested of the corporations. These include placing all natural gas revenues into secure escrow accounts to block junta access, freezing new investments in Myanmar’s gas sector, and executing responsible operational drawdowns or divestments where human rights risks cannot be mitigated.
“The junta requires hard currency to purchase the weaponry used in its terror campaigns against the people of Myanmar,” stated Keel Dietz, Senior Policy Advisor for the Campaign for a New Myanmar. “PTT, PTTEP, and NGP must exhaust all measures to ensure their operations do not financially sustain these atrocities. The revenues derived from Myanmar’s natural gas fields belong to the public, not an illegitimate military council. These energy companies must place these funds into escrow accounts to safeguard them for Myanmar’s future democratic government.”
Editor: ML
