Hilton justifies Myanmar business link
Hilton Asia Pacific confirms it manages three hotels in Myanmar on behalf of the Eden Group that the covert activist group, Justice for Myanmar, accused of being a business crony of the military junta.
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Avoiding any reference to the Justice for Myanmar accusations, the spokesperson emphasized: “Our presence in any country has always meant that we work for the greater good of the local community, and our experience in Myanmar is no different.
“Since we launched our presence in Myanmar in 2014 with the opening of Hilton Nay Pyi Taw, we have created job opportunities for more than 500 people across our three hotels.
“In 2015, we established the Hilton Vocational Training Center to provide training to local talent who are keen to build a career in hospitality.
“Across the three batches we’ve taken to date, we have had almost 100 students enrolled in the HVTC, of which many have gone on to work at Hilton hotels both in Myanmar as well as other countries.
“Our hotels have also been a consistent support to many non-government organizations and embassy liaison offices, fostering important connections between Myanmar and the world.
“We continue to believe that the global hospitality industry has the potential to advance responsible business operations, and we remain committed to contributing to Myanmar’s social and economic progress.”
[...] Justice for Myanmar [...] alleged: “We are appalled that Hilton is operating a hotel in Arakan state that directly finances the Myanmar army. The hotel is located where the military committed genocide against Rohingya, and the hotel pays rent to the same office that buys weapons used in atrocity crimes against the people… (it’s) a shocking breach of Hilton’s human rights obligations. We call on Hilton to immediately end their business with the Myanmar military.”