TOTAL SUED IN FRENCH COURT

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

THIS IS FOR THE LAWYERS LIKE AT ERI and elsewhere...any news?
 
You know, i am going to ask some questions because i think its fair to
do so. Here  you got ERI -Earth Rights International now kicking in for
a boycott of Total helping friends in Europe and Infobirmanie in Paris,
who for years wouldnt even touch TOTAL boycott issue, and now they tred
water calling for "responsable consumer behavoir", which is pretty
diluted gas, and not head on activism, sort of to keep alive their
spirit of revolt, which is nice, and  you have ERI people and lawyers
doing research, picking  up prizes and doing some legal work, i guess,
but not here in france, not that we can see. And why is that? Why aren't
the legal people, for example, at ERI, building legal case here in
France, and in Europe, against TOTAL?

and this is inconcsistent with the record of violations and accusations
against the oil company.

Its interesting that the french mps said, oh, go ahead, change the
boycott laws, go to public opinion. but you and i know that those in
power dont give a damn really about public opinion, perhaps if you sell
products, yes, but dictators and partners, no. they dont need voters,
they dont need public opinion.

but court case here in france would get publicity, and that TOTAL does
not want at all. you can bet on it!

So what about our law friends. Total says US courts have no jurisdiction
over TOTAL activity in Burma. So then, what are they doing, these humana
rights friends of ours, about french and European courts?

are they doing anything? Well, there is no sign of it happening. not
yet, but why not? why hasn't this french oil and gas company
> been brought to french court, if in fact, what human rights ngos says is
> true, against the company, and about its parnter MOGE, and genocide in
> Burma, in addition to forced labor and pipeline security violations?
> 
> today, in french press, the court annoncement that the French Parquet
> (court) has dismissed, filed away four cases against Baby Doc Duvalier,
> Haiti's heir to crime and punishment of dictatorship (1971-1986) after
> daddy PAPA DOC, a US crony and butcher, died. So the fat kid is now once
> again free to walk the streets here.French court said it had no
> jurisdiction and could not try the cases as, and i have stated this
> before here, only those "crimes against humanity" during WWII or after
> 1994 are receivable, the year of the new penal code in france.
> 
> therefore, why not TOTAL, after 1994? IF what the human rights activists
> say is true, then shouldnt they take it to court here?
> 
> And wouldnt that help the publicity as well on the issue of Free BURMA?
> 
> Today the price of a barrel of light sweet crude hit 26,60$ - thats the
> highest in three years! I guess Desmarest at TOTAL figured right,
> because he sure has the cash he needed for the Elf deal, and Elf
> shareholders followed him like ducks in a line trading their shares for
> Total...
> 
> ds