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Unocal Picketed Over



Subject: Unocal Picketed Over                          Burma Project 



                         Unocal Picketed Over
                         Burma Project 

                         Monday, June 2, 1997 9:19 pm EDT 

                         BREA, Calif. (AP) -- Unocal Corp. shareholders
voted down
                         two resolutions regarding a $1 billion gas pipeline
project in
                         Burma as dozens of activists protested outside Monday's
                         meeting. 

                         One resolution called for Unocal to report the
costs of boycotts,
                         litigation and lobbying due to the project. The
second asked
                         Unocal to investigate allegations that its Burmese
partner is
                         laundering money from the heroin trade. 

                         Unocal spokesman David Garcia said the allegations
are untrue
                         and are supported by activists opposed to Burma's
military
                         government. 

                         Both resolutions were voted down by more than 90
percent of
                         the approximately 400 shareholders, Garcia said.
But both
                         received enough favorable votes to allow them to be
brought up
                         again next year, said Pam Wellner of activist group
Free Burma. 

                         Human rights groups have accused Burma's military
of burning
                         villages and using forced labor to build
infrastructure for a
                         pipeline that will carry gas to Thailand. Unocal
and France's
                         Total SA are part-owners, along with Burma's
government. 

                         ``Ultimately we want the shareholders to realize
that this is not a
                         good decision and they stand to lose everything if
something
                         happens to the pipeline or if something happens to
the regime,''
                         said activist Louisa Benson. 

                         Unocal maintains the joint venture is actually
helping people in
                         southern Burma by bringing roads, schools and
hospitals. 

                         President Clinton last month issued an executive
order to ban
                         new U.S. investments in Burma because of the country's
                         increased repression of democracy efforts.