The French oil company Total said shutting its operations in Myanmar could cause even greater hardship in the country, despite a hardening attitude by France toward new investment amid a conflict between citizens and the ruling military junta... "We are convinced that through our presence we are helping to improve the daily lives of tens of thousands of people..." said Jean-François Lassalle, a vice-president for public affairs at Total... [Total's] joint venture [in Burma] earns the military regime hundreds of millions of dollars a year, according to...The Burma Campaign UK... Patricia Marie, a spokeswoman for Total, said Thursday that the company planned no new investments in Myanmar since completing its gas production facilities at...Yadana... "...far from solving Myanmar's problems, a forced withdrawal would only lead to our replacement by other operators probably less committed to the ethical principles guiding all our initiatives," Lassalle said.