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Mike · Site Admin Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 4486 Location:

134 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling on French oil giant TOTAL Oil to pull out of Burma. TOTAL Oil – the fourth largest oil company in the UK – is the largest European investor in Burma.

At the same time, Burmese communities across the world are protesting at French embassies accusing the French government of protecting the Burmese dictatorship by vetoing European Union sanctions against Burma in order to protect TOTAL Oil’s investment in Burma. Protests are taking place in Malaysia, USA, UK, Japan, South Africa and Korea. Exiles have also produced hard-hitting cartoons depicting French President Jacques Chirac dressed as Madame Liberty trampling on Burma’s democracy movement. (High res copies are available for publication.)

The EDM was tabled by Vera Baird MP, Co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma. “TOTAL Oil’s business partner, Burma’s military dictatorship, is carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Burma’s minorities and is using rape as a weapon of war against women and children”, said Vera Baird. “Its customers, its shareholders, and UK parliamentarians must be made aware of Total’s partnership with tyranny.”

John Bercow MP, the other Co-chair of the All-Party Group, also attacked TOTAL’s close relationship with the dictatorship, saying: "TOTAL Oil's investment in Burma is propping up one of the most brutal and sadistic military dictatorships in the world. In selling oil, the company is providing huge revenues for the regime to spend on the instruments of torture and repression. The company has blood on its hands and it is an absolute scandal that it should support a terrorist state in this way. Now that Premier Oil and British American Tobacco have had the decency to pull out of Burma, the time has come for a concerted campaign to persuade TOTAL Oil to follow suit."

Text of the EDM:
That this House notes that Total Oil, the fourth largest oil company in the United Kingdom, is the largest European investor in Burma; is concerned that revenue from the gas project it operates in Burma has been estimated to earn the regime up to £240 million a year; further notes that the regime in Burma spends half of its budget on the military; supports Aung San Suu Kyi's calls for companies not to invest in Burma; and calls on Total Oil to follow the example of Premier Oil, British American Tobacco and dozens of other companies, and withdraw from Burma.

The list of MPs who have signed the EDM can be viewed at: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=28240

French oil giant TOTAL is the fourth largest oil company in the UK, and the fourth largest oil company in the world.

A recent report on TOTAL Oil’s involvement in Burma found:

TOTAL is the largest European corporate funder of the regime. The Yadana gas project, in which it is a partner, is believed to earn the regime between $200m to $450m a year.

TOTAL’s presence in Burma influencing French, European Union and British foreign policy on Burma, as France vetoes effective EU sanctions in order to protect TOTAL.

Horrific human rights abuses committed in the region of TOTAL’s gas pipeline by pipeline security forces.

Arms sales closely linked to TOTAL’s gas project. The regime used its first downpayment for gas exports to buy 10 MIG jets from Russia.

For more information & copies of the cartoons, contact Mark Farmaner, Media Manager, on 020 7324 4713.
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Alan Stepney · Centurion Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 853 Location:

I too reckon that the oil companies ought to temper their business interests with a social conscience.
In the case of Burma and payments to the present regime which appear to be used primarily for military purposes, the only option is to use the finacial leverage to curtail their activities and if that means the oil companies pulling out, so be it.
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The Middle Eastern states aren't nations; they're quarrels with borders.- P. J. O'Rourke