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STATEMENT REGARDING PARAQUAT SALES



Subject: STATEMENT REGARDING PARAQUAT SALES TO BURMA

SOUTHEAST ASIAN INFORMATION NETWORK (SAIN)

STATEMENT.

In response to announcement A-0053 that ""Neither the government of Myanmar,
nor the private sector has any plans to buy or import Paraquat"  the
following statement has been released in response:

1. Mr. Steve Brown from Zeneca in London to the Danish agency Ritzau:

"The pesticide has been sold in Burma in small portions through the
joint-venture company. So, I dont understand (the message from Rangoon).

"Mr. Steve Renshaw from Zeneca Agro quoted by AFP
"Theres no reason for us to defend the sale of 10,000 liter of the product
to Myanmar"

Mr. Niels Frederiksen from EAC headquarters in Copenhagen (Denmark) in the
national  Danish news agency Ritzau:

"I am  advised of an export of 10,000 liter, but its not massive
export-offensive, as the newspaper claims.

2. Further: The Danish daily Newspaper Politiken has been covering the story
and has had a journalist in Thailand where he interviewed the district head
for Southeast Asia of Zeneca Mr. Chatree Pitakpaivan. 

On June 1st, 1997 Khun Pitakpaivan travelled to Burma to check out the
export possibilities for paraquat.  Before leaving he told the Politiken
reporter that Zeneca already have a yearly export of 10,000 liters of
Paraquat to Burma.

"There is no doubt that Burma is a very interesting potential market for us.
That is why we want to begin a massive export of Paraquat as soon as its
possible"   transcript of interview with Politiken journalist and Khun
Pitakpaivan.

Zeneca's Director for judicial matters Mr. Martin Smith told Politiken that
he was also travelling to Burma to find out which requirements the Burmese
authorities will set for the use of Paraquat. 

"My assignment is also to convince the authorities in Burma, that they can
safely allow the use of Paraquat,"

Staff members from Zeneca and ZAAL in Thailand have confirmed ALL quotes of
those attributed to the Thailand based company, and the facts were checked
by Politiken before their story was published.

If you also read the quotes in the SAIN press release of June 9, 1977 by Mr.
Fiorini you will see that he also attributes the sale of Paraquat to Burma.

Paraquat is still banned in Denmark and the companies East Asiatic Company
(EAC) and Zeneca Agro Asiatic Ltd (ZAAL) should not be selling their banned
products to any country in the region or to the military dictatorship in
Burma.  

3.Announcement A-0053 was posted on the internet by OKKAR66127@xxxxxxx
without any official letterhead or indication as to whom the statement was
from. It would assist in the credibility of the information if the sender
would publicly state from who or where it did come from.