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November 3, 2021, Myanmar: Leading international and regional accounting bodies from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, UK, USA and across Southeast Asia are acting disgracefully by participating and sponsoring the upcoming ASEAN Federation of Accountants Conference, in which the junta’s auditor general is “Guest of Honour”.
This high-level accounting conference is co-organised by the Myanmar Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA), a semi-independent body that operates under the junta-controlled Myanmar Accountancy Council. The military junta is a systemically corrupt terrorist entity that continues to commit atrocity crimes, financed by the theft of public assets. Since February 1, the military junta has murdered 1,233 people, including children, and arrested over 9,600.
MICPA Chairperson Wan Tin is the current President of the ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA), an umbrella organisation of accounting bodies of ASEAN member states based in Jakarta. MICPA and AFA are co-organisers of AFA’s upcoming annual conference, where the Myanmar military junta’s auditor general, Dr Kan Zaw, is providing the welcome speech. Dr Kan Zaw was appointed auditor general following the military’s unlawful attempted coup. Dr Kan Zaw previously served as Minister for National Planning and Economic Development under the military’s proxy government led by the Union Solidarity and Development Party, prior to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy-led government.
The ASEAN Secretary General is following Dr Kan Zaw in giving the keynote speech, as ASEAN continues to give a free pass to the military junta, despite excluding war criminal Min Aung Hlaing from last week’s ASEAN Summit. ASEAN must exclude Myanmar military junta representatives and associates from all platforms and mechanisms.
The second keynote speech is being given by Alan Johnson of the US-based International Federation of Accountants.
AFA’s 22nd conference is facilitated by Ikatan Akuntan Indonesia (Indonesian Institute of Accountants) and supported by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and CPA Australia. Event partners are the UK-based Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the US-based Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA).
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: “It is abhorrent that regional and international accounting bodies are reputation laundering for the Myanmar military junta through involvement in the 22nd AFA Conference. The junta is a terrorist organisation that has committed egregious international crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Dr Kan Zaw, the AFA’s “guest of honour”, is a key member of this international criminal cartel and, as auditor general, is directly implicated in the military’s theft of public assets. The junta’s auditor general must be rejected for his role in war crimes, crimes against humanity and grand corruption, not legitimised on the world stage by leading bodies of the accounting profession in the name of accountants across the world. These accounting bodies must act with integrity, not cosy up to international criminals. We demand the AFA immediately suspend MICPA’s membership and exclude Dr Kan Zaw from their conference. We demand international partners, sponsors and speakers boycott the AFA conference unless the Myanmar junta and MICPA is excluded. We stand in solidarity with the many Myanmar accountants who courageously resist the Myanmar military junta.”
MICPA was set up by the Myanmar military’s Ministry of Home Affairs in 2013. Under the 2015 Myanmar Accountancy Council Law, MICPA is required to support and report to the Myanmar Accountancy Council, chaired by Dr Kan Zaw.
Note to editors
Justice For Myanmar, a group of covert activists campaigning for justice and accountability for the people of Myanmar, is calling for an end to military business and for federal democracy and a sustainable peace.
ENDS
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Yadanar Maung
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