Kirin investigates payments

Kirin investigates payments

Japanese brewer Kirin has said it will review its donations procedure after it came under criticism for giving money to the Myanmar military at the height of the crackdown in Rakhine State last year. The company, which is a partner in Myanmar Brewery with the military-linked Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL), said it donated about US$6,000 on September 1 at the request of MEHL, who said it would be transferred to the Rakhine State government to provide aid for victims in the violence. However, a post on Facebook said that MMK17.9 million had been presented directly to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing by “partner companies of Myanmar Brewery”, according to rights group Amnesty International, who has challenged the brewer about the donation. In a letter to Amnesty, Kirin CEO Yoshinori Isozaki admitted that the company’s processes for tracing the use of the funds had been “inadequate” and that it was reviewing its processes.

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