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NEWS - PRESSURE GROUPS CRANK UP CAM



Subject: NEWS - PRESSURE GROUPS CRANK UP CAMPAIGN TO STOP OIL FROM FUELLING

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There were a number of newspapers in French, in Dutch and in English
during our trip in Europe. This is an article from "The International
Oil & Gas Newspaper UPSTREAM"
London, 28 May 1999

PRESSURE GROUPS CRANK UP CAMPAIGN TO STOP OIL FROM FUELLING JUNTA, By
Christopher Hopson

Burmese pressure groups are stepping up their opposition to the Yadana
and Yetagun gas projects, which they believe will provide hundreds of
millions of dollars to prop up a highly discredited military regime
responsible for systematic human rights abuses.
"The civilian population in our land have no rights over how the Burmese
generals operate and they are very unhappy with the pipeline projects"
claims Sunthorn Sripanngern general secretary of the Bangkok-based Mon
Unity League.
With the construction phase of Yadana complete and Yetagun almost
finished, the Burmese army is said to be maintaining its "vice-like
grip" over population movements along a wide and highly militarised
pipeline corridor.
Since the early 1990's, human rights groups in neighbouring Thailand
have chronicled hundreds of cases of abuse, including suppression of
dissent; forced labour, portering and relocations; torture, rape,
summary executions and environmental destruction of the rainforest.
Speaking before attending Premier Oil's annual meeting in London last
week, veteran campaigning journalist John Pilger said he had seen and
filmed forced and slave labour in the area the UK independent is
building its pipeline and "all the excuses it makes amount to nothing".
Pilger accuses the oil company of "underwriting" an illegitimate regime
through its investment.
Answering the claims, Premier chief executive Charles Jamieson says the
company does not get involved in politic and is investing not just for
profits but also for the people of the country. "There is no question of
us using forced labour in Myanmar or anywhere else in the world," he
says.
Reports have accused Burma's generals of profiting from the illegal
drugs trade and connected state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise
with laundering drugs money. Khun Sa, one of the country's main opium
warlords, is said to be living in a comfortable villa in the capital
Yangon, formerly Rangoon.
"At the moment it is only illicit drugs money which is allowing the

generals to stay in power," asserts Tyler Giannini, director of
Washington-based Earth Rights International.
However, it is estimated the junta can expect millions of dollars of
revenue from Yadana and Yetagun in two to three years.
"There needs to be continued international and economic pressure on the
Burmese regime to bring it to the negotiating table in a dialogue with
the National League for Democracy and the ethnic and indigenous groups
in Burma," says Giannini.
He is calling on the UK government, which has made supportive statements
as part of its ethical foreign policy, to force Premier to quit Burma.
US sanctions were introduced last year banning new investment in the
country.
"The European parliament has made a number of strong resolutions and the
Dutch, Danes and Scandinavians have all been very supportive of the
democracy movement," he comments.
Unocal is facing court action in the US over its involvement in Burma.
The case is currently in the disclosure period and is expected to reach
court in the spring of 2000. "We have over 30,000 documents to present
in this case," says Giannini.
One woman plaintiff will give an account of how soldiers cane to the
Michaung Laung village in the pipeline area and asked her family to move
elsewhere.
"Her family did not want to leave so the soldiers yelled and kicked her.
She dropped her two-month-old baby, which fell into the fireplace and
later died," alleges Ester Saw Lone, coordinator of the women rights
project for EarthRights International, who interviewed the woman.
Another plaintiff will give an account of how villagers employed as
porters were forced by soldiers to prepare the ground for a helicopter
pad for when "the foreigners came to work on the pipeline".
EarthRights claims Unocal president John Imle has admitted under oath
that some porters were conscripted. "there are many cases of porters
being beaten, tortured and killed if they cannot carry their loads",
claims Giannini.
The group has also raised concerns about the environmental impact of the
pipeline. It accuses Burmese military battalions of being involved in
logging operations in the pipeline area, some of which is pristine
rainforest.