YANGON, 16 March 2021: Pandaw, a luxury river cruise operator, has nailed its colours to the mast by providing medical aid to injured demonstrators in towns across central Myanmar.
In a statement released at the weekend, Pandaw says, “Myanmar has now broken down with shootings, and other acts of violence by the military proliferate on the streets, not just of big cities, but every town and village in the country.”
Pandaw is probably the first travel or hospitality firm to publicly take a stand and provide an essential medical service for the injured demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Justice for Myanmar, a covert group that exposes the financial links between business and the military coup leaders, updated its list last week. It criticised the online booking sites Tripadvisor, Booking.com and Expedia for offering bookings for Azura Beach Resort, a property owned by the son of the coup leader. They have since removed the property from their listings. But there are also international travel and hospitality corporations that remain entangled in business dealings with the perpetrators of the violence against the Myanmar people.
Justice for Myanmar identified international hotels chains that are in partnership with crony companies that directly or indirectly benefit the generals financially. Most of the hotel groups ignore the allegations. Very few are prepared to draw a line in the sand and stand true to obligations and commitments outlined in their well-publicised CSR strategies.
In contrast, Pandaw, a river cruises with a presence in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and India, is clearly making a stand by deploying Pandaw Clinics’ medical teams. “Our doctors are out with the demonstrators and ready to assist. Only yesterday, they attended a 16-year-old Bagan resident shot in the face.”
“We have opened our seven clinics to offer medical assistance to all striking workers at a time when government medical facilities have closed. We believe we are well placed with a long-established non-governmental healthcare network to assist at this time.
The Pandaw Clinics were originally set up in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and treat 5,000 patients a month, providing medication without charge.
As of Monday, the army and police have killed more than 120 people and detained 2,150 who participated in peaceful demonstrations in towns across the country. There are social media reports that accuse police atrocities, even shooting a pregnant woman at point-blank range. Many of the victims are young protestors. See Facebook: htps://www.facebook.com/hashtag/whathappeninginmyanmar#
Pandaw is seeking donations to support medical services to the injured.
In its statement, the cruise operator said: “We need all the help we can get and please donate now to buy urgently needed medical supplies. By doing this, you can show your support for the Myanmar people’s struggle to regain freedom and democracy.”
To donate visit: https://www.pandawclinics.com/
