Total Oil

I know I've talked about this on here before but it's a very important issue. Total Oil are the largest foreign investor in Burma. Total are responsible for:

Funding one of the worst regimes in the world-providing them with $750 million per year while they use rape as a weapon, torture political prisoners and carry out ethnic genocide

Using slave labour and their pipeline (Total recently came to an out-of-court settlement with 6 villages who had Total in court for using them as slaves)


Employing Burmese soldiers (including child soldiers) to guard their pipeline and not investigating or presing for an investigation the abuses comitted by the soldiers in the area-including the rape last year of a 14 year old by 16 soldiers guarding the pipeline

Providing the French government with millions of dollars a year in response for France vetoing all EU resolutions against Burma

We have recently launched a website against Total located here-http://totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com/

It details Total's abuses and suggests action against Total as well as providing links to the Burma Campaign and Burmese Free press sites. Over the coming months we will also feature reports on the human rights abuses in Burma and hopefully expand to other multinationals abusing human rights (Shell and Coke currently in the firing line....so if anyone fancies writing a bit on one of these we'll be more than happy to publish you!)

We desperatly need the publicity and interest so please take a look send on this link to anybody who you think might be interested and post it up on any blogs/forums you can-this is the kind of action that got BAST and Lauda Air out of Burma (neither of whom have been replaced because of public opposition) and we hope we can do the same with Total-the last major foreign investor. Total is all the more seirous as once Total leave France will have no reason to veto resolution against Burma in the Eu or when it reaches the UNSC.

Thanks for your time,
Liam

This link is not safe for work-it shows Karen villages massacred in the genocide currently being carried out by the Burmese army and funded by Total. The first payment the regime recieved from Total was used to buy military planes which were used within weeks in attacks on such Karen villages.

Just wondering if anyone has had a look at the site yet and has any comments/suggestions etc.?

Feedback appreciated :)

Do other companies operate in Burma? Is Total the only multinational company? Seems like should be campaigning to the EU & french government. What do french people think? Seem like a better reason to protest to me...

If you have a look round the site it will answer all those question (especially in the 'Why Total? Why now?' section). But to summarize yes other companies do -see the dirty list . The significance of Total are they are the last major foreign investor. The other companies do fund the regime but it relies on Total more than any other. If Total leave they will follow Pepsi and British Americna Tobacco as the biggest company to pull out -the step down to the next investor is massive and Total leaveing will have a knock-on affect on the others. Secondly Total are politically significant as well. To answer your question as yet lobbying the French government and EU would be of no use as France's ploicy towards Burma is shaped by the millions they make from Total and as a result they have vetoed every EU/ESEAN resolution against Burma. The removal of Total would have unprecedented political as well as economic influence. Again see here for a more detailed analysis.