Telenor executives ‘requested’ not to leave Myanmar

Myanmar’s military rulers have asked executives from Norwegian telecom firm Telenor not to leave the country pending regulatory approval of the company’s deal to sell its operations there, a junta minister said on Tuesday.

Aung Naing Oo, the military’s investment minister, told Reuters authorities wanted “to have discussions physically with some of the Telenor management”.

“It’s kind of a request not to leave the country,” he said.

The minister was responding to a question whether foreign telecom officials were being prevented from leaving the country. Reuters reported in July that senior executives at major telecommunications firms in Myanmar had been put under an exit ban by the junta unless they received special authorisation to leave the country.