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Fwd: French Parliament on Total: F



Subject: Fwd: French Parliament on Total:  FBC Kiosk 10/15/1999

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>Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 00:42:05 +0000
>To: free-burma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>From: zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: French Parliament on Total:  FBC Kiosk 10/15/1999
>Reply-To: zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Sender: owner-free-burma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>Quote of the Day:
>
>The French policy on Burma is only about protecting the oil sector
>interests. Yet, wether you like it or not, for all the burmese people,
>Total has become a symbol of active support to this criminal junta."
>
>			-- Annie Faure, Info-Birmanie's chair women, "Libération," October 14, 1999
>
>This kiosk contains:
>	
>	1).  SEAC National Free Burma Campaign Co-Coordinator's announcement
>	2).  French Parliament on Total
>	3).  notre weekly board member 
>	4).  PRESS CONFERENCE: GOODWILL YOUTH MISSION TO BURMA
>
>Note:  SEAC stands for Students Environmental Action Coalition.
>
>
>From: "Pan Walker" <panwalker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: November 6th Day of Action for Burma against Suzuki
>
>Hey everyone.
>
>The Free Burma Coalition is targeting November 6th as a International Day of
>Action Against Suzuki dealerships, because of Suzuki's
>manufacturing/assembly factory in Burma!!!
>
>I think this would be a GREAT action for the Students Challenging Corporate
>Power conference Nov 5-7 at Yale (http://www.corpreform.org).
>
>You can find your local Suzuki car dealer in the U.S. at:
>http://www.suzukiauto.com/dealer.html  or call 800-934-0934.
>
>You can find your local Suzuki motorcycle dealer at:
>http://www.suzukicycles.com/deal/dealfs.htm  or call 800-828-7433.
>
>You may know that Burma has the third highest rate of deforestation in the
>world, behind Brazil and Indonesia.  However, if you don't know what's up
>with Burma in terms of human rights abuses, basically the military regime
>(known as SLORC) nullifies elections, controls media, destroys villages,
>rapes and murders thousands, sends thousands into forced labor (especially
>to build an oil/gas pipeline through the rainforest), and is supported by
>transnational corporations (like Suzuki) and the international drug market.
>
>For more info, go to www.freeburma.org right now, check out our workshop(s)
>at the ECOnference2000 this weekend in Philly, or after this weekend go to
>www.seac.org/burma for more facts and info on how you can help coordinate
>something on the National Day of Action Against Suzuki on November 6
>(11-6-99), how to get someone to do a Free Burma presentation at your
>school, and other ongoing initiatives and campaigns, such as the push to
>unseat the SLORC from the United Nations, the Unocal lawsuits, the drive to
>kick burma out of the WTO, upcoming conferences and dates for action and
>info on how to get speakers, videos, brochures, etc.
>
>Pan Walker
>SEAC NC At-Large Rep, Region 11 (GA,FL,TN,AL,PR)
>SEAC National Free Burma Campaign Co-Coordinator
>panwalker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>(423)588-6722 home, 766-3375 pager
>http://web.utk.edu/~panic/seac
>***************************************************************************
>
>From: info birmanie <info-birmanie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>Subject: french parliament on Total
>
>Paris, october the 14th
>
>A mission of information set up by the french national assembly to
>investigate upon the doings of  oil companies and upon their impact on
>the foreign policy decision making process has just released its
>conclusions. 
>
>Marie Hélène Aubert, the MP who presided over the parliamentary mission
>organised a press conference this thursday morning to hand out the
>report and answer to the press. Most of the report is about proposals
>which would lead to a greater transparency in the accounts and the
>practices of the Oil giants. It also stresses the need for a legislative
>reform which would implement a stricter penal accountability of 
>multinationals involved in criminal wrongdoings. It is almost
>impossible, given the french law as it stands today, to take legal
>action against a large corporation involved in human rights abuses. It
>is also very difficult to organise a commercial boycott. 
>
>This report is released at a sensitive time for the french oil industry,
>given the fact that Total and Elf, the two national oil companies are in
>the process of a merger. The group would become the largest french
>private corporation and the fourth largest oil company in the world.
>During the auditions and the fact finding missions, the parliamentary
>mission of information has foccused it?s attention on the dealings of
>Elf in Tchad and Cameroun, in Africa, and on Total?s Yadana project in
>Burma. Concerning the latter, the commission had already released a
>press announcement on the 5th of may, stating « that it seems confirmed
>that in the preliminary stages of the pipeline, burmese authorities have
>used forced labour and that populations have been displaced ».
>
>During the press conference, Ms Aubert said that the members of the
>mission had unanimously agreed upon the fact tha Total?s investement in
>Burma had been a « mistake » and that the company should « freeze » its
>activity in the country. 
>The mission has only a mandate to make proposals, so the importance of
>its conclusions shouldn?t be overevaluated. Nothing indicates that Total
>is about to change its position concerning Burma. 
>
>Still, the medias have given a good coverage and french public opinion
>has been arosen. A boycott against Total has been launched in Belgium
>and two demonstations are being organised in Paris on the 15th of
>october and on the 5th of november to protest against the support given
>by Total to the burmese dictatorship.
>
>Sébastien Naar, for Info Birmanie.
>****************************************************************
>
>Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 17:34:35 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Mirante MAJE Paisley <maje@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: oil listserve <burmaoil@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>cc: zarni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, petro listserve <petro@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: notre weekly board member (fwd)
>
>Continuing the campaign to convince oil companies to leave Burma by
>contacting members of their boards of directors, this week we write 
>letters to a board member of TotalFina. Total is the French oil company
>which, in partnership with Unocal, Burma's military regime and Thailand's
>PTT, forced the Yadana pipeline through Burma and Thailand. Recently,
>Total took over the Belgian petroleum company Fina, forming TotalFina. 
>Last month, TotalFina has also acquired the huge French oil company, Elf
>Aquitaine.
>
>This week's TotalFina board member is Prof. Bertrand Jacquillat, who is
>a university professor.
>This week (the week of October 10) please send Professor Jacquillat 
>a brief note. 
>
>Address:
>  Professor Betrand Jacquillat
>  Member, Board of Directors
>  TotalFina
>  24 cours Michelet
>  92800 Puteaux
>  France
>
>brief sample note:
>"Dear Professor Jacquillat,
>
>Total's pipeline project in Burma has not earned any profit for Total,
>and has instead earned the company huge amounts of negative publicity
>because of human rights violations.
>>From July 28's Nation newspaper (Thailand): "To begin receiving the gas
>from Burma now means an inevitable increase in the price of electricity
>(in Thailand). Egat (Thai utility) has complained several times that the
>Yadana gas costs substantially more than the price of gas purchased from
>other local sources, and also that the gas is of lesser quality than what
>was initially claimed." 
>Professor Jacquillat, as an academic exepert, does this really seem
>like a worthwhile business venture to you? Isn't it time for Total's Board
>of Directors to wake up and put a stop to the company's involvement in
>this unholy mess?
>
>Sincerely,"
>
>===
>Remember to use the proper postage to send your note to Professor
>Jacquillat care of TotalFina in France. Ask your friends, family and
>colleagues to do so as well. You may receive a polite "form letter" from
>TotalFina's pr department in reply, insisting that they are doing nothing
>wrong by their "constructive engagement" in Burma. Feel free to respond to
>that form letter, enclosing articles or documents describing human rights
>abuse in Burma with your response.
>===
>letter campaign by
>Project Maje & No Petro$
>***************************************************************
>
>From: info birmanie <info-birmanie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: BurmaNet Editor <strider@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Cc: "burmanews-l@xxxxxxxxxxx" <burmanews-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: Total
>
>Letter addressed to Mister Thiery Desmaret, TotalFina?s president, by
>Annie Faure, Info-Birmanie's chair women. Published in the french news
>paper "Libération" on the 14 th of october, 1999.
>
>Since the merger between Elf-Aquitaine and TotalFina, you are now
>leading the forth oil company in the world. What can we, non
>governemental organisations who care about humanism, expect from this
>weding? What can we hope for the oppresed and wounded people living in
>these totalitarian countries where oil money is only used to feed the
>wealthy?
>
>The wordings of your advertisement are done to be cheering, talking
>about «a friendly rapprochement»
>It is actually more of a peace agreement between two enemy brothers wo
>have similar methodes. We can recalll that recently, in Angola, Elf and
>Total where both denouncing the other?s guilty relationship with the
>UNITA to the president Dos Santos....
>
>Your union also promises «unequaled groth perspectives and an exeptional
>oportunity for the two companies, their shareholders and their staff ».
>It would be difficult to be clearer: the consummers and the populations
>from producing countries are not counted amongst those who will share
>the benefits. This is in line with the usual strategy of both Total and
>Elf. Each one in its area, Elf in Africa and you in Burma.
>
>Your atitude in this country reflects your indifference towards human
>right and is an example on that point.  Since 1988, Burma is under the
>grip of one of the worst dictatorships in the world, fed by drug
>cultivation and traficking. Your Yadana gaz project puts you in a
>leading position for the foreign investment there. This project was
>officialy launched in 1992 against all the recomandations coming from
>the burmese democrats incuding nobel peace price laureate Daw Aung San
>Suu Kyi. The burmese democrats won the parliamentary elections in 1990.
>The Junta never recognised the elections. But for these oponents, the
>contracts signed by Total with the regime have no legal value. This
>shows how much you have been beting on the junta staying in power.
>The International Federation of Human Rights and many NGOs have
>denounced gross human right abuses that occured in relation with the gaz
>field?s explotation. Total?s american partener himself -UNOCAL - has
>admited to the californian court of justice the use of forced labour and
>population deplacement which occured in link with your project. The
>International Labour Organisation has called these parctices « crimes
>against humanity » 
>In France, the parliamentary mission on « the role of oil companies in
>international politics and their social and environmental impact » is
>going to release its report today. In a statement made public on the 5th
>of may, the mp?s have declared that « it seems established that in the
>first stages of the project, burmese authorities have been using forced
>labour and have displaced populations from the area. Practices which are
>unfortunately only too frequent in this country »
>At a european level, the european parliament has condemned the burmese
>regime whithout any ambiguitee. In 1998, a resolution stated that all
>foreign investement in Burma represented a substantial support to the
>SPDC. The parliament requested in the same resolution that oil companies
>such as Total and Unocal should freeze their investements. In a new
>resolution, on the 16th of september, the parliament accuses the regime
>once again and is « extremly preoccupied by the ongoing human rights
>abuses perpetrated by the burmese military authorities ». The parliament
>takes good notice of the fact that the oil sector accounts for a third
>of all the official foreign investements in the country. This european
>institution is firmly in favour of maintaining Burma?s exclusion from
>the EU-ASEAN dialogue.
>One of your key arguments to defend your presence in Burma is the
>economic developement it will induce and the spill over effect on civil
>society. The « developement » you mention only benefits the
>dictatorship. The regime uses the money to stay in power by relying to
>the only technique it knows: terror. The regime has no intrerest in
>sharing freely the benefits. It?s about its survival.
>Facts have made it clear time and time again: In spite of the monney
>invested, the country is getting poorer. Actualy, this year, the burmase
>authorities have not published the economic and financial statistics, as
>they usualy do, to hide the disastrous state of the economy. A political
>disaster also: Aung San Suu Kyi who has always promoted a non violent
>resistance, has just launched a new appeal for economic sanctions.
>Your merger with Elf is not a reason for us to hope. Even more so
>because the new french ambassador in Rangoon is an ex-member of the
>board of Elf...
>The french foreign affairs departement is clearly on your side. The
>french policy on Burma is only about protecting the oil sector
>interests. Yet, wether you like it or not, for all the burmese people,
>Total has become a symbol of active support to this criminal junta.From:
>info birmanie <info-birmanie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: BurmaNet Editor <strider@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Cc: "burmanews-l@xxxxxxxxxxx" <burmanews-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: Total
>
>Letter addressed to Mister Thiery Desmaret, TotalFina?s president, by
>Annie Faure, Info-Birmanie's chair women. Published in the french news
>paper "Libération" on the 14 th of october, 1999.
>
>Since the merger between Elf-Aquitaine and TotalFina, you are now
>leading the forth oil company in the world. What can we, non
>governemental organisations who care about humanism, expect from this
>weding? What can we hope for the oppresed and wounded people living in
>these totalitarian countries where oil money is only used to feed the
>wealthy?
>
>The wordings of your advertisement are done to be cheering, talking
>about «a friendly rapprochement»
>It is actually more of a peace agreement between two enemy brothers wo
>have similar methodes. We can recalll that recently, in Angola, Elf and
>Total where both denouncing the other?s guilty relationship with the
>UNITA to the president Dos Santos....
>
>Your union also promises «unequaled groth perspectives and an exeptional
>oportunity for the two companies, their shareholders and their staff ».
>It would be difficult to be clearer: the consummers and the populations
>from producing countries are not counted amongst those who will share
>the benefits. This is in line with the usual strategy of both Total and
>Elf. Each one in its area, Elf in Africa and you in Burma.
>
>Your atitude in this country reflects your indifference towards human
>right and is an example on that point.  Since 1988, Burma is under the
>grip of one of the worst dictatorships in the world, fed by drug
>cultivation and traficking. Your Yadana gaz project puts you in a
>leading position for the foreign investment there. This project was
>officialy launched in 1992 against all the recomandations coming from
>the burmese democrats incuding nobel peace price laureate Daw Aung San
>Suu Kyi. The burmese democrats won the parliamentary elections in 1990.
>The Junta never recognised the elections. But for these oponents, the
>contracts signed by Total with the regime have no legal value. This
>shows how much you have been beting on the junta staying in power.
>The International Federation of Human Rights and many NGOs have
>denounced gross human right abuses that occured in relation with the gaz
>field?s explotation. Total?s american partener himself -UNOCAL - has
>admited to the californian court of justice the use of forced labour and
>population deplacement which occured in link with your project. The
>International Labour Organisation has called these parctices « crimes
>against humanity » 
>In France, the parliamentary mission on « the role of oil companies in
>international politics and their social and environmental impact » is
>going to release its report today. In a statement made public on the 5th
>of may, the mp?s have declared that « it seems established that in the
>first stages of the project, burmese authorities have been using forced
>labour and have displaced populations from the area. Practices which are
>unfortunately only too frequent in this country »
>At a european level, the european parliament has condemned the burmese
>regime whithout any ambiguitee. In 1998, a resolution stated that all
>foreign investement in Burma represented a substantial support to the
>SPDC. The parliament requested in the same resolution that oil companies
>such as Total and Unocal should freeze their investements. In a new
>resolution, on the 16th of september, the parliament accuses the regime
>once again and is « extremly preoccupied by the ongoing human rights
>abuses perpetrated by the burmese military authorities ». The parliament
>takes good notice of the fact that the oil sector accounts for a third
>of all the official foreign investements in the country. This european
>institution is firmly in favour of maintaining Burma?s exclusion from
>the EU-ASEAN dialogue.
>One of your key arguments to defend your presence in Burma is the
>economic developement it will induce and the spill over effect on civil
>society. The « developement » you mention only benefits the
>dictatorship. The regime uses the money to stay in power by relying to
>the only technique it knows: terror. The regime has no intrerest in
>sharing freely the benefits. It?s about its survival.
>Facts have made it clear time and time again: In spite of the monney
>invested, the country is getting poorer. Actualy, this year, the burmase
>authorities have not published the economic and financial statistics, as
>they usualy do, to hide the disastrous state of the economy. A political
>disaster also: Aung San Suu Kyi who has always promoted a non violent
>resistance, has just launched a new appeal for economic sanctions.
>Your merger with Elf is not a reason for us to hope. Even more so
>because the new french ambassador in Rangoon is an ex-member of the
>board of Elf...
>The french foreign affairs departement is clearly on your side. The
>french policy on Burma is only about protecting the oil sector
>interests. Yet, wether you like it or not, for all the burmese people,
>Total has become a symbol of active support to this criminal junta.
>
>*******************************************************************
>
>From: ALTSEAN-BURMA <altsean@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: Presser TODAY: GOODWILL YOUTH MISSION TO BURMA
>
>PRESS CONFERENCE: GOODWILL YOUTH MISSION TO BURMA
>FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS CLUB OF THAILAND
>12 noon, FRIDAY OCT 15, 1999
>
>Youth leaders who participated in a democracy dialogue with Burma's
>National League for Democracy Youth Wing will speak about their experience.
>
>The young people from Malaysia and Japan met youth members of the NLD in
>Rangoon yesterday (October 14).
>
>Videotape of the meeting will also be presented.
>
>Speakers: 
>
>Ms Latheefa Koya, Secretary - Youth Wing, Parti Rakyat Malaysia (People's
>Party of Malaysia)
>
>Mr Niimi Tatsuya, Student, People's Forum on Burma, Japan
>
>Mr Lum Chih Feng, Student, SUARAM (Voice of the Malaysian People / Suara
>Rakyat Malaysia)
>
>Time:
>
>	Friday October 15, 1999
>	12 noon
>
>Location:
>
>	Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand
>	Penthouse, Maneeya Plaza,
>	South Ploenchit Road (nr Sogo Department Store) Bangkok
>
>Inquiries tel:
>
>	Altsean-Burma	(BKK) 275 1811
>
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