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Total is still the biggest investor in Burma. The campaign "Let?s talk
business: Democracy for Burma!" asked a Dutch television programme producer
 to write down a letter in a magazine distributed to everybody working for
Dutch television and radio broadcasting companies. This letter was
published in 'Spreekbuis' of 25 April 1997, in Hilversum, The Netherlands.

Please note that these are unofficial translations from Dutch.

TEXT BEGINS:

Dear colleges,

Lately I have heard and seen on radio and television some great programs
about ethical enterprising. It is an interesting subject. Isn?t it time
that we, as producers of this kind of programs, take a closer look at
ourselves?
Many of us refuel at Total with a special card - arranged by the
broadcasting companies; which gives us a discount, and Total a lot of
regular customers. But what else is Total doing? It is building a gas
pipeline for the dictators in Burma.
This project is very much contested. Not only because the Burmese army -
the joint venture partner of Total - chased away the local inhabitants with
brute force for its construction. Also not just because of the forced
labour with which this joint-venture partner constructs roads and railroads
to make the area accessible; those who refuse to co-operate voluntarily to
hack stones for the construction of roads find themselves as prisoners at
the same worksite.
The most important thing is the financial contribution of Total to the
regime - with US$ 400 million a year the pipeline will be the biggest
source of foreign reserves!
Why should we worry about Burma? It are our companies which enable the
military regime to stay in power.
Almost all foreign investments go through military holdings; the generals
spend more than half of the state budget on the military! Only a small
percentage is spend on health care.
It is evident that the population wants something else. In the 1990
elections the leader of the opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, won 81 percent of
the seats of the, to be formed, parliament. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
is asking explicitly not to invest in Burma now.
I will write a letter together with the Burma Centre Netherlands and XminY
Solidarityfund to Total, asking the company to pull out of Burma. I call
upon all my colleges to do the same. Send a letter to the address below,
and the two organisations will forward it to Total. 

Job de Haan, IKON-Kenmerk

END OF TEXT

Letter to Total by Job de Haan:

TEXT BEGINS:

To the Board of Total-Netherlands
Postbox 366
3000 AJ Rotterdam

Hilversum, 23 April 1997

Dear Madam/Sir,

Since a number of years, as a Television producer, I gratefully make use of
the Total card arrangement which is valid for people who work for
broadcasting companies in order to refuel with discount. Total in its turn
benefits from a large number of regular customers. Because my relationship
with Total has been pleasant during all these years, and because of the
friendly way they treat their customers, I feel obliged to address your
presence and mode of operating in Burma. This country in Asia is being
ruthlessly governed by a military junta with which Total has formed a
joint-venture for the construction of a gas pipeline. For the construction
of this pipeline, the original population has been driven away with brute
force, forced labour is being practised and labourers who refuse to
co-operate disappear behind bars. With this partner Total is doing business
and is investing US$ 400 million a year; the largest source of foreign income!
Without foreign investments the junta can not maintain its position, if
only because it is spending half of the state budget on defence; not
because of an external threat but for internal use. The Burmese population
has a different opinion, which is shown by the outcome of the 1990
elections. The Burmese opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi then won with an
overwhelming majority of 81%. The junta has declared the elections unvalid
and has remained in power. The argument which is often mentioned in this
kind of situation - that in the end it will benefit the people - is
factually not correct, because everything is going to the military, but
also because Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Suu Kyi is explicitly asking not to
invest in Burma right now. Heineken has already understood this message.
Therefore as a customer of Total I call upon your company to stop investing
in Burma, in any case to stop these investments until democracy is restored
in the country. Looking forward to your - hopefully positive - reaction.

With kind regards,

Job de Haan, KENMERK - IKON/TV

END TEXT

Letter from Total Benelux  to Job de Haan (Benelux is BElgium,the
NEtherlands, and LUXemburg), Rotterdam is a city in The Netherlands)


TEXT BEGINS

Rotterdam, 16 may 1997

Dear Mr De Haan,

I have received your letter of April 23rd in good order, and have also seen
your letter in 'Spreekbuis' about the presence of Total in Burma.

Because I am not competent to answer your letter about the activities of
Total in Asia, I have sent both documents to the Board of Communication of
our holding company in Paris. Herewith you receive her explanation, which I
hope will give you a different point of view about the facts you described.

I hope that we can continue our good relationship in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Total Netherlands N.V.


P Bres, 
Chairman of the Board of Directors

END TEXT

Accompanying letter by board of communication of Total:

TEXT BEGINS

16 May 1997

Mr. De Haan,

With great regret we have read your letter dated April 23rd and your
article of 25 April 1997 in 'Spreekbuis' about the, by Total developed,
project in the south of Burma (region Tenasserim)

This article contains a large number of factually incorrect statements
which can put your readers on the wrong track:

· Since at least 1992, the date of the first agreement between Total and
the Burmese authorities for the development of the Yadana gasfield, there
has not been a single relocation of the population in the zone where we are
constructing the pipeline.

· None of the infrastructure related to the project has been realised by
the Burmese army, but by international wellknown (mostly European)
companies under the control of Total, and only with voluntary, adult people
which were paid more than the local standards.

· The construction of a railroad by the Burmese army has nothing to do with
the gasproject: the pipeline follows a west-east route and the railroad a
north-south route, the pipeline is almost finished while the railroad is not.

· It is not correct to write that with US$ 400 million a year the pipeline
is the largest source of foreign currency of the country: until
approximately 2001-2002, this project, which the Burmese government is
financing for 15%, will cost the Burmese authorities more than it is giving
them as revenue. Nobody knows which political regime will be active in the
country by then.

We hope that this explanation will enable you to judge the activities of
our Group in a better way.

The Board of Communication of Total.

END TEXT

Letter from Job de Haan in ?Spreekbuis? of June 20th.

BEGIN TEXT

Dear colleagues, in ?Spreekbuis of April 25th I asked Total-Netherlands to
stop her activities in Burma. I also asked colleges, who have an
advantageous arrangement with Total, to join. I gave some arguments against
Total and got an answer (see letter above, ed.) which I will now address.

1. Total denies forced relocations occurred in the pipeline area.  
· The biggest buyer of the Yadana project gas, a Thai energy-company, was
advertising in the Bangkok Post on 17 April 1995. In this advertisement
was, among other things, stated that: "Myanmar has recently cleared the way
by relocating a total of 11 Karen villages that would otherwise obstruct
the passage of the gas resource development project".
· There are numerous testimonies of refugees, which, more or less, all say
the same thing. A short notice to leave the village, accompanied by threats
and violence and often the burning down of the village after departure so
that the villagers can not return. This and more can be read in the reports
Total Denial by EarthRights International and Southeast Asian Information
Network and Burma, Total and human rights: dissection of a project by the
International Federation of Human Right Leagues.
2. Total denies that, for the construction of the infrastructure required
for the project, forced labour has been used. Only adult and voluntary
labour was used.
· According to the report by the International Federation of Human Rights
Leagues, at the moment the report was published, 50.000 people were forced
to grind stones. Both reports mention that western people regurlaly visited
the worksites of forced labour projects.
· Total seems to know about the fact that children are forced to perform
labour, considering the following quote from a 15-year old girl from the
area: "The soldier came to my house and told all the people that ?you have
to be ready before five o?clock in the morning. You have to go and work
with the English? (the rural population in Burma usually call Caucasians
?English?, ed.). ?.There were about forty of us. While we were working
there were two English guys watching us".
· The fact that forced labourers sometimes got paid doesn?t mean that they
weren?t forced to work by the SLORC.
3. Total denies a connection between the railroad which is under
construction in the area and the construction of the pipeline.
· It is true that no direct connection between the construction of the
railroad and the pipeline has been proven. Proven is however that the army
is using the railroad for the transport of troops, supplies and equipment
necessary for the military bases which were build for securing the pipeline.
4. Total denies that the Yadana project will be the most important source
of reserves for the country. The revenues will not exceed the costs until
the year 2001-2002 and it is, according to the company, not known which
regime will be active in Burma at that time.
· Although the Burmese government is a co-financer of the project, and as
such should pay a part of the costs, she is not able to pay her part. Total
decided, together with partner Unocal, to lend SLORC the money. When the
project commences in 1998, SLORC must pay the companies back. Contrary to
what Total says, the project doesn?t cost the Burmese government anything,
which means costs will never exceed revenues.

I would like to add that the arguments against investing in Burma are
getting more support. In March 1997, a federal judge in the United States
decided that Total?s partner Unocal can be held responsible for human
rights violations committed by the Burmese government. Total aswell can be
held responsible because the company is active in the United States. In the
same month, the European Union postponed the Burmese trade-advantages
because of gross human rights violations. "The impressive report contains a
frightening list of human rights violations, like violations of the right
to live, oppression of ethnic groups and the use of forced labour" (press
release of the Dutch delegation on behalf of the European Union, April 16th
1997).
Total?s arguments are not convincing and contrary to what is really
happening in Burma. Furthermore, I think that Nobel prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi should be our most important internal source of information. She is
putting her life on the line and we should respect this. I?m asking every
college who didn?t respond so far, to do this right now.

Regards,

Job de Haan
IKON/TV

END TEXT

This is all the correspondence we have had with Total. We figured it should
be on the net.Kind regards,

Members of the Campaign "Let's talk business: Democracy for Burma!"