The following is reproduced with permission from materials supplied by
Project Maje's Edith Mirante, a leading activist on behalf of human rights
in Burma:
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PLANNED GAS PIPELINE THREATENS ETHNIC MINORITIES OF BURMA; OIL
MULTINATIONALS INVOLVED
Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) junta has gained
foreign exchange for a massive arms build-up through exploration
joint-venture contracts with oil multinationals. According to a SLORC
spokesperson, 80% of a $600 million investment program came from two
exploration projects:
1. One project funded by Total (France)
2. Another was a joint venture of Texaco (US), Premier (UK), and Nippon
(Japan)
These ventures have struck considerable reserves of natural gas in Burma's
offshore Andaman Sea fields. Subsequently, Unocal (US) bought 47.5% of the
Total company's concession. According to the Bangkok Post (21 April 1993)
"The deal between Unocal and Total was struck long ago but was not publicly
announced, partly because the US firm was concerned it would once again
become a target of criticism by those opposing foreign investment in a
country known for human rights violations." Unocal also continues to hold
an on-shore oil concession with the SLORC.
A pipeline is planned to bring the Andaman Sea natural gas across Burma to
Thailand (for state-owned Petroleum Authority of Thailand) This operation,
carried out by the SLORC's Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise for the
multinationals, threatens a region of southern Burma. It is to enter
Thailand near Nai E Thaung (a.k.a. Inthong). SLORC troops are already in
place to clear a vast security zone for the pipeline by depopulating it of
Mon, Karen, and Tavoyan ethnic minority villages which are suspected of
sympathizing with rebel forces abel to sabotage a pipeline.
There will be a severe campaign to clear the area of human habitation. It
is one of Burma's last tropical forest areas and the site of the Karen
tribe's Mt. Kaser Doh wildlife sanctuary (refuge of rare mammals and
birds--these will not last long under the expected military onslaught).
New Thai logging concession ("checkpoints") were recently approved for the
area by Thailand's Minister of the Interior, Gen. Chavalit, and refugee
villages have been burned down, and refugees forcibly relocated on the Thai
side of the pipeline route. Road building with forced labor is commencing
on the Burma side, plus conscription of slave porters for the military
campaign. Mass killing of ethnic minority civilians who are in the way of
the pipeline is predicted, as is destruction of the rainforest environment.
Please share your concerns by writing or calling the officials involved:
Mr. Richard Stegemeir
Chairman of the Board
Unocal Corporation
PO Box 7600
1201 West 5th street
Los Angeles, California
90061
USA
telephone: 213 977 7600
Mr. S. Tchuruk
Chairman
Total CFP
5 Rue Michel-Ange
78751 Paris
Cedex 16
FRANCE
telephone: 1 4743 8000
Mr. Earl Johnston
Chief Executive Officer
Texaco, Inc.
2000 Westchester Avenue
White Plains, New York
10650
USA
914 253 4000