Accor’s luxury five star Novotel Yangon Max continues to host events and welcome guests, with occupancy well over 50%, even as military forces follow the order to “annihilate” all protesters and hunt down all those who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement. This includes the arrest and detention of health workers who provided medical treatment for injured protesters.
On its booking portal for Novotel Yangon Max Accor declares that: “All measures are taken for your safety and comfort. Novotel Yangon Max is certified by Myanmar Minister of Health and sports and Minister of Hotels and Tourism. In addition the hotel is ALLSafe validated.”
So as military forces gun down protesters with live ammunition, anyone holding a conference, celebration, marketing event or just staycationing at Novotel Yangon Max is guaranteed to be safe. Also safe are the profits of Accor’s business partner Max Myanmar. The owner of Max Myanmar is a known military crony with close ties to senior military generals.
Meanwhile in its 2020 report to the French government on human rights risks in its business operations overseas Accor neglects to mention any potential issues in Myanmar. Notably the company’s 436 page vigilance plan submitted under France’s Corporate Duty of Vigilance Law* makes no reference at all to human rights risk in Myanmar, despite being fully aware of the military ties of its business partner.
What will Accor’s Vigilance Plan 2021 say about Myanmar? It’s all safe?