“This is bad news for Myanmar. It will undermine Myanmar’s sovereignty and empower multinational corporations. Transnational investors have sued states for billions of dollars under similar mechanisms for taking measures to protect public health or the environment, review exploitative contracts acquired through allegations of corruption, promote industrialisation, or even adjust corporate taxes. This has a chilling effect, undermining democratic decision making and restricting states’ right to regulate in the public interest and protect the rights of their people, environment, and resources,” he replied in an email.
