Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Where is the truth?
It has been over a week since we published, and directly sent our open letter to Total. A letter not asking Total to pull out of Burma, cut funding to the regime or change anything: simply asking them to condem the onoging genocide of the Karen people.
We have had no reply.
Why? Because it would put Total in a bad spot-they are directly funding the genocide (for example, Total's first payment to the regime was used to buy military arcraft to attack the Karen region). Total cannot condem something that they are funding even if women are being raped, children shot and peoplebeheaded or beaten to death. Even if 16 000 people have been driven from their homes and thousands more are dead.
So the easiest thing for Total to do is ignore our letter, ignore the beheadings, the rape, the burnings -to ignore the genocide.
And Total are used to ignoring the truth. In 2003 a 14 year old girl was raped by 16 soldiers employed by Total to guard their pipeline. Total have done nothing about it.
On 9th November 2005 Totals Vice Chief Executive of PR stated in an e-mail:
"I have received your mail relating a story on which we are currently gathering information. This case however doesn't appear to be as straight forward as you describe. Whatever the results of our investigation, I will personally keep you posted. "
On 22nd November 2005 Totals Vice Chief Executive of PR stated in an e-mail:
"I will respond to [your inquiry] when I get the results of the investigation I previously mentioned about the rape of the 14 year old girl." -note that he appears to accept that the girl was raped
On 19th April 2005 Totals Vice Chief Executive of PR enied that the girl was ever raped:
"Following the investigation into these allegations, I can assure you that the case you drew to my attention was based on a totally unfounded rumour. The girl in question was never raped. This doesn't mean to say that such a thing could never happen, but I am happy to say that in this instance, there was no such incident."
Since then he has failed to answer any questions about this 'investigation' -Who did it involve? were external investigators called in? Will the results be published? Who conducted the 'investigation?
If an investigation did take place why are these questions not being answered? Did the investigation even take place? Why is such a massive issue [a young girl being gang raped by soldiers guarding Total's pipeline] being ignored by Total?
All we want is answers. All we want is details of the investigation. All we want is the truth.
And right now Total isn't giving it.
We have had no reply.
Why? Because it would put Total in a bad spot-they are directly funding the genocide (for example, Total's first payment to the regime was used to buy military arcraft to attack the Karen region). Total cannot condem something that they are funding even if women are being raped, children shot and peoplebeheaded or beaten to death. Even if 16 000 people have been driven from their homes and thousands more are dead.
So the easiest thing for Total to do is ignore our letter, ignore the beheadings, the rape, the burnings -to ignore the genocide.
And Total are used to ignoring the truth. In 2003 a 14 year old girl was raped by 16 soldiers employed by Total to guard their pipeline. Total have done nothing about it.
On 9th November 2005 Totals Vice Chief Executive of PR stated in an e-mail:
"I have received your mail relating a story on which we are currently gathering information. This case however doesn't appear to be as straight forward as you describe. Whatever the results of our investigation, I will personally keep you posted. "
On 22nd November 2005 Totals Vice Chief Executive of PR stated in an e-mail:
"I will respond to [your inquiry] when I get the results of the investigation I previously mentioned about the rape of the 14 year old girl." -note that he appears to accept that the girl was raped
On 19th April 2005 Totals Vice Chief Executive of PR enied that the girl was ever raped:
"Following the investigation into these allegations, I can assure you that the case you drew to my attention was based on a totally unfounded rumour. The girl in question was never raped. This doesn't mean to say that such a thing could never happen, but I am happy to say that in this instance, there was no such incident."
Since then he has failed to answer any questions about this 'investigation' -Who did it involve? were external investigators called in? Will the results be published? Who conducted the 'investigation?
If an investigation did take place why are these questions not being answered? Did the investigation even take place? Why is such a massive issue [a young girl being gang raped by soldiers guarding Total's pipeline] being ignored by Total?
All we want is answers. All we want is details of the investigation. All we want is the truth.
And right now Total isn't giving it.
