BOYCOTT TOTAL OIL

TOTAL DENIAL- London Premier

2007-03-09T22:35:00.000Z

The groundbreaking film 'Total Denial' will be shown in London on Monday 26th March and Monday 28th March. Each showing starts at 6.30 and is £7 with proceeds going to Human Rights Watch.The film is a documentary following 15 villages who were used as slaves on Total's pipeline in Burma. They witnessed the relocation and rape before eventually bringing both Total and UNOCAL to Court. The documentary includes a collection of first hand testimonies collected at great risk to the film-makers own life. This is the London premier and the film-maker will be present at both showings.Full details at http://hrw.org/iff/2007/lo
ndon/films.html#total

Ken Saro-Wiwa: A true hero

2007-01-25T11:28:00.000Z

Ken Saro-Wiwa, an Ogoni human rights activist and writer, devoted his life the peaceful struggle against Royal Dutch Shell and their rape if Nigeria. Thousands of Ogoni people saw their farms and livelihoods destroyed throughout the 1990's by Shell's irresponsible oil drilling, gas-flaring and murder of protestors. The accumulation of Shells barbaric practice came when they set up Saro-Wiwa and eight of his comrades to be executed by the corrupt Nigerian government in 1995.

On 25th January Charles Lock will deliver a free lecture entitled: ‘The Legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa: Heroic Activism and Rotten English’ at Goldsmith's, University of London. For full details visit the 'upcoming talks page' or contact Goldsmiths at 020 7919 7436, or e-mail m.macdonald@gold.ac.uk. For a map and travel information please visit http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/

Ken Saro-Wiwa is a true hero and an inspiration to us all in the peaceful yet unyielding fight against barbaric, human-rights abusing oil giants. He provides hope to those who continue the struggle against Shell in Nigeria and against Total in Burma. This lecture is an event not to be missed.

Jails and Genocide-Behind the Spin (part 2)

2007-01-15T19:11:00.000Z

Burma is a land of many ethnic groups; Karen, Karreni, Shan, Arakan and Chin just to name a few. For years until the regime took power Burma was one of the most multicultural and tolerant countries on the planet. The Burman majority (mainly Buddhist) lived in relative peace alongside, Karen (mainly Christian), Rohingya (mainly Muslim), Indians (both Hindu and Sikh), Anglo-Burmese and Anglo-Indians amongst a multitude of others. However, since 1958 the military juntas in control have systematically destroyed any such harmony. From ejecting rich Anglo-Indians and seizing their assets to stripping the Rohingya people of any rights to marry or own property, the regime has made sure that ethnic minorities are treated as bad, or even worse than the Burman majority they persecute so brutally.

A particular venom has been saved for the Karen people; who the regime hate with such a passion that they have contributed a huge proportion of their resources to destroying the entire Karen civilisation. Hundreds of Karen villages have been bombed or shelled without warning[1] killing men, women and children or soldiers have simply arrived and told the entire population of the village to move into army-controlled areas or be shot on site[2]. Just last month the Tatmadaw (Burmese army) attacked the Northern Karen region, murdering 76 men, women and children, burning villages, burning rice fields and driving 25 000 Karen civilians in to hiding in the jungle where they suffer from malnutrition, starvation and disease[3]. Children are executed to prevent the Karen population growing whilst those suspected of being members of the Karen National Liberation Army (a small armed group which seeks to protect Karen villages from attacks) have been beheaded in public or simply tied to trees and beaten to death[4].

The sickening brutality of the Burmese army is unquestionable as these quotes from the Free Burma Rangers show:

“Saw Maw Keh carried his mother up the ridge out of the gully and into theclearing. The Burma Army soldiers waited until the Saw Maw Keh and hismother were in the cleared area, about 10-15 yards away from their positionbehind the logs, and then opened fire. The shock of having a line of troopsopen fire at point blank range must have been tremendous. Saw Maw Kehdropped his mother (we are not sure if she was shot off his back or fell).She cried out to him and as he turned to help her they both were shot dead.His daughter, 9-year-old Naw Eh Ywa Paw was shot though the back as she ranwith the rest of the people…The Burma Army waited ina prepared position to kill villagers. They waited until they were only 10yards away and opened fire on a man carrying his mother and as well as thefamilies and children behind him. What kind of people, what kind of systemcan do this? A depraved one.”[5]

This is just one incident, in the attack on one village, that has been replicated time and time again not just across the Karen region but throughout the villages or nearly every ethnic minority in Burma.

Yet the murder of children, the pre-meditated destruction of entire villages, the savage beatings and the beheadings have been willingly funded and endorsed by Total Oil for fourteen years. Here are just two examples of Total’s contribution to the genocide:

Money from Total ($130 million) paid for 30% of the MIG fighter planes[6] that the Burmese Army purchased from Russia and for use in attacks on Karen villages. This transaction took place in 2002 despite the fact that the Burmese army had been carrying out their genocide of the Karen for years.
Soldiers drove Karen villagers from their homes to make way for Total’s pipeline. This was done with the full knowledge of Total, Chief Executive Theirry Desmarest stated “Military presence in the region was reinforced to ensure protection of the area”

The facts are clear. Despite Total’s spin and talk of ‘positive engagement’ propagated by their PR department, Total are funding genocide. They money paid by the public at Total petrol stations is in turn paid to the Burmese regime for Burma’s oil (£200 000 000 per year)[7].This money is used for military planes and arms to continue their genocide of Burma’s ethnic minorities (Total spend 50% of their annual budget on the military despite having no external enemies[8] –it all goes towards their oppression and genocide.

Total may create a fancy PR site with pictures of smiling Burmese children to cover their tracks but they know where the money is going. When asked about the genocide they are silent, when asked to condemn the genocide they are silent, and they’ll be silent tonight while tens of thousands of Karen civilians hide out in a landmine filled jungle to protect their children from the soldiers who will rape and murder them –with guns and planes paid for by Total.

[1] Karen Human Rights Group
[2] Karen Human Rights Group
[3] Free Burma Rangers
[4] Free Burma Rangers
[5] Free Burma Rangers
[6] Burma Campaign UK Report ‘Total Oil- Fuelling the Oppression in Burma’
[7] Burma Campaign UK Report ‘Total Oil- Fuelling the Oppression in Burma’
[8] Burma Campaign UK Report ‘Total Oil- Fuelling the Oppression in Burma’

Photo 1 from Karen Human Rights Group, Photos 2 and 3 from Free Burma Rangers.

Total are still abusing human rights.....but we are still here

2007-01-07T16:08:00.000Z

It may have been a year since our last update (sorry about that!!) but we haven't gone away. Total are still in Burma, still using barbaric guards to protect their slave-built pipeline and still providing the funds that the regime need to continue abusing and opressing the people of Burma. The genocide of the Karen people is ongoing, Burma's prisons are still crowded with political prisoners, democratically elected leader Aung Sung Suu Kyi is still under house arrest (4091 days now) and Total are still keeping the situation the same -all in the name of oil profits.

But as long as they carry on so will Students Against Total. We've spent the last year informing people, rasing awareness of the situation and lobbying Total both ont he ground and on the web. So get involved and get in touch by sending a message to studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

We'll never give up on the people of Burma -and we'll never give up the fight against Totalitarian Oil.

Total and the Environment (part 2)

2006-08-31T14:40:00.000Z

Erika is a name that has haunted Total since 1999 and has long been a symbol of Total’s complete disregard for the environment when in pursuit of profit.
In December 1999 the Erika tanker, commissioned by Total, split in two near the coast of France, spilling 10 million litres of oil into the ocean[1] , killing over 100 000 birds[2] (the biggest ever ecological disaster for Europe’s sea birds), destroying sea life and polluting over 500km of coast line[3].

Whilst civilians, soldiers, wildlife agencies and foreign aid flooded in to help save the birds and coastline, the finger of blame was pointed at Total for their appallingly lax safety standards.

An enquiry following the disaster revealed that Total was guilty of negligence in the vetting of the Erika, something that they were responsible for having commissioned the vessel to carry their oil. Lucien Bekourian, one of the commission’s experts, said the quality of Total's vetting was "clearly behind similar control processes in other companies". Bekourian said that Total used the Erika despite warnings about the quality of the ship.[4]

Total, in typical style responded with a weak claim that there were no international standards on vetting and they therefore did not bare responsibility.

The backlash revolved around a massive French-based campaign to boycott Total –the largest campaign of its sort before Total invested in Burma.
Environmentalists from France and further a field, many who had been involved in the enormous clean-up in the wake of Erika, criticised Total’s negligence and encouraged people not to buy from an oil company who wreaked such enormous devastation on Europe’s environment to save the money that would have been spent on vetting. Many still boycott Total as a result of the Erika atrocity, their resolve only strengthened by Total’s human rights abuses and environmental devastation in Burma.

Total failed to recover their reputation in France as just two years later their plant near Tolouse exploded killing 31 people, wounding 3000 and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Total were subsequently found guilt of neglect in storing dangerous chemicals at the site[5], a further illustration of Total’s utter neglect for both people and the environment; a character it has maintained across the world.

[1] BBC News
[2] Society for the Study and Protection of Nature (Brittaney)
[3] BBC News
[4] Asia Times
[5] Asia Times

Jails and Genocide-Behind the Spin (Part 1)

2006-08-24T14:05:00.000Z

Total’s presence in Burma is shrouded in corporate lingo; ‘socio economic programmes’, ‘ethical guidelines’ and ‘constructive engagement’.
But take away the corporate spin and take a look at what Total are really funding. Every year Total give over £200 000 000 ($450 000 000) to the Burmese regime in return for Burma’s oil[1]. Where does this go? Generally not on health (on which the regime spend just 19p per person each year, or 0.3% of their GDP-the lowest in the world[2]), most likely not on primary education (which isn’t available to 60% of children[3]) and almost certainly not on universities (the regime have closed down the majority of these). In fact the money isn’t really going to the people of Burma at all; 43% of children suffer from malnutrition and one in ten children die before their 5th birthday.
So let us take a look at where the majority of the regimes spending (coming foremost from Total) goes; on their prisons and on their genocide.
Currently 1183 political prisoners languish in Burma’s jails[4] where they are routinely tortured by the regime, who use the following methods:

Piercing of skin
Electric shocks (including to breast and genitals)
Solitary confinement (in pitch black)
Rape of men and women (by guards and trained dogs)
Beatings
Whippings
Forcing prisoners to sleep in their own excretion
Forcing prisoners to crawl on nails or glass
Burning skin and eyes
Rubbing skin off with iron bars
Kicking
Tying up
Strangling
Shackling[5]

Since 1988 126 democracy activists have been tortured to death in Burma’s jails. These people are imprisoned purely for their beliefs or for speaking out against the regime; many are reporters, one is a 4 year old girl, the youngest political prisoner in the world imprisoned because her father is a democracy activist[6].

As the regime spends such a large proportion of it’s income on arresting, detaining, torturing and executing democracy activists (and their families) and Total is the largest supplier of funds to the regime it is indisputable that much of the money Total pays them (coming from those filling up and Total petrol stations around the world) is used in Burma’s barbaric prison and torture system.

Total knows the situation –they know that their money is likely spent on the torture, rape and murder of political prisoners (aged four to eighty) in Burma’s notorious jails; yet they have never once made any objections. We call on Total to:

Request none of it’s money paid to the regime is spent on detention, jails or torture
Use it’s influence and the largest foreign investor in Burma and largest supplier of funds to the regime and condemn the prison and torture situation, call on the regime to reform the system and ensure nobody is arrested or jailed for opposition to Total’s pipeline

What can we do?

So far Total has never condemned the torture it funds or even attempted to make a difference, but with public pressure we can change that:

Please click ‘Add a Comment’ and sign your name in support of this request to Total
Please also e-mail Total at holding.myanmar-contact-internet@total.com or Total’s PR man at Jean-Francois.LASSALLE@total.com with this request (please send us copies of your e-mail and any replies at studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.com)

Thank you

[Part 2 will focus on Total’s funds being used in the genocide of the Karen people and the persecution of other ethnic groups]

[1] Burma Campaign UK Report ‘Total Oil- Fuelling the Oppression in Burma’
[2] Burma Campaign UK Report ‘Total Oil- Fuelling the Oppression in Burma’
[3] Burma Campaign UK Report ‘Total Oil- Fuelling the Oppression in Burma’
[4] Human Rights Watch
[5] List from AAPP report ‘The Darkness we see’
[6] Indo-Burma News

Students Against Total

Totalitarian Oil http://totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com

studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

Human Rights Abuses in Burma (part 7)

2006-08-19T19:13:00.000Z

Conclusion-since the military takeover in 1962 Burma has suffered the worst human rights abuses in the world. From oppressions and restrictions to open genocide the regime has brutalised Burma’s people at a growing rate. Furthermore, the regimes position remains protected by foreign investment and subsequent lack of international intervention. Despite the human rights situation deteriorating however success of human rights groups is growing. The United States Campaign for Burma has succeeded in pressuring the US government to impose unilateral sanctions, an action mirrored by the government of Norway. Significant investors have withdrawn from Burma, with Total Oil the largest remaining foreign investor and coming under increasing pressure.
Since Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Czech Republic President Václav Havel submitted a document outlining the need for UN intervention in early 2006 the Security Council has held it’s first ever discussion regarding Burma-an enormous step forward. Pressure from both politicians and the public is mounting on the UN to intervene and groups such as Burma Campaign UK are growing in support. There is still much to be done, however, to save the sixty million people of Burma from some of the worst abuses humankind has ever seen.

[Photo] Karen Human Rights Group

Become a Cyber Activist!

2006-08-15T17:39:00.000Z

In the six months since Students Against Total was formed we’ve enjoyed many successes: protests have been held, hundreds of signatures collected and huge amounts of awareness raised. Our ‘Free Burma’ banner has appeared (alongside several Students Against Total activists) in Burma Campaign News, hung from Total signs and photographed by the Burmese regime from inside their London embassy.
But alongside this we have experienced tremendous success right here –on the internet. Our site has reached hundreds more people, is visited by those concerned about Total’s human rights abuses every day and is monitored by Total themselves. Our videos on video websites have received hundreds of hits and above this we have been linked to by many excellent campaigns who share our concerns about the human rights abuses in Burma and by multinationals worldwide (see our friends and links section!)
But we want to take this further –we want YOU to become a cyber-activist against Total’s human rights abuses. There are limitless ways to do this which can take as little as an hour and will have an enormous impact. You might want to leaflet your campus and take some photos, stick a poster up in your local Total station and send us the pictures, write a report about Burma or Total or send a letter or e-mail to Total and send it to us with their reply.
Whatever you choose to do send it to us at studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.com and we’ll publish it. Hundreds of people will see your work and you’ll make a real difference to Burma and the world. Cyber activism is the newest and one of the most effective ways of taking the fight to human rights abusing multinationals.
So don’t wait- do it today! Hand out some leaflets, take some photos, write a report and do your bit to stand up against Total and their human rights abuses.
We need you, and you can make a difference.

Students Against Total
Totalitarian Oil http://totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com
studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

Total and the Environment (part 1)

2006-08-12T12:11:00.000Z

Total are notorious for their human rights abuses; from Burma to the Democratic Republic of Congo Total are happy to be responsible for rape, torture, murder and genocide as long as they get the oil.

But it doesn’t stop here; Total are also responsible for appalling crimes against the environment. Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth have joined the international coalition against Total and environmentalists worldwide have campaigned for years against Total’s destruction of our planet. It’s not surprising also that Total’s environmental and human rights abuses are closely linked. By destroying the environment Total are destroying the lives of the people who live there and depend on it for food, work and materials.

Take Nigeria for example; here Total extract millions of dollars worth of oil every day. In extracting the oil, natural gas is also produced as a by-product; but instead of building a sustainable plant to collect and liquefy the gas to be used in the future Total takes the cheap option and engages in the notorious act of gas flaring. Total’s plants simply burn off the gas–creating huge flames and releasing poisonous fumes twenty four hours per day. Here Total is both devastating the environment and the lives of the Nigerian people. Children have grown up never knowing a dark night thanks to Total’s enormous gas flares lighting up the sky without pause.Che Ibegwura lives in Erema, an Egi community in Rivers State, Nigeria long devastated by Total’s gas flares. He stated:

"For many years, we have been living with continuous flaring of gas from Total...Our farmlands have been polluted. We labour hard to plant but little comes out. Our roofs are corroded. Our air is polluted. Our children are sick. Even the rainwater we drink is contaminated with black soot from the gas flares. We cannot continue with this suffering. We need to take legal action to protect ourselves, our children and our future."

This one story is shared by thousands across Africa from Nigeria to Sudan as a result of Total’s environmental devastation ruining the continent, the country and the lives of those who live under Total’s refineries and flares without ever seeing the benefits of the oil taken from under them.

Remembering 8/8/88

2006-08-09T14:59:00.000Z

Yesterday thousands of democracy and human rights protesters across the world gathered at Burmese embassies to commemorate the thousands who were massacred while peacefully protesting for democracy and human rights in Burma on 8/8/88 and to protest against the regime's ongoing oppression, torture and genocide.
In London over a hundred demonstrators from many different groups including Burmese Democracy Movement Association UK, Burma Campaign UK, Buddhists for Peace, Women of Burma UK and Christian Solidarity Worldwide along with NLD members and supporters marched to the embassy (stained with red paint representing the blood of those who died) where they laid a reef in memory of those massacred by the regime, made speeches and peacefully, but incredibly loudly protested for over an hour.

Amongst the sadness, the pride and the defiance it was worth remembering that while so many gave such an amazing show of solidarity with the Burmese people and held such a sucessful protest against the regime, many people were unknowingly funding the regime by filling up at Total stations across the country. Please continue to spread the word about Total funding and perpetrating human rights abuses in Burma and continue to support the boycott, for those who died on 8/8/88, for those who continue to languish under the regime, for Burma.

Students Against Total
Totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com
studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

Gearing up for 8th August

2006-08-03T17:24:00.000Z

On 8th August thousands of Burmese democracy and human rights activists around the world will descend on their nearest Burmese embassy in memory of the thousands of democracy activists who were slaughtered on 8/8/88 in Burma and in protest at the regimes continuing opression of the country (see here for details of the London protest or visit the BDMA UK site).

In preparation for the day Students Against Total activists and supporters set out to support BDMA UK in publicising the London protest by postering local notice boards. During this came one of Students Against Total's finest hours -when two activists managed to convince a Total employee to allow us to place a poster in the Total petrol station:

Neither the Total bosses nor the Burmese regime would be too happy to find out that this Total station is now publicising a protest against Total's friend and business partner!

You can join the thousands across the world protesting for democracy by finding out the details of you nearest 8/8/88 commemoration protest -click here for details of the London protest or here for a list of Burma Campaigns around the world to find one in your country.

Total in the DRC

2006-08-02T20:24:00.000Z

This week the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo went to the polls for the first time ever. For years the country has been wrecked with civil conflict, regional conflict and local conflict in what some have described as ‘Africa’s World War’. Since refugees escaping the Rwandan genocide began the flood across the border in 1994 the conflict has claimed the lives of over 10 000 people while over a million more have been driven from their homes.
So whilst the DCR is in the news this week its worth taking a look back at the conflict that has ravaged the country for so long; and its no surprise that amongst some of the worst human rights abuses of the last decade Total shows up. Congolese officials including General Denis Sassou Nguesso and arms dealer Jacques Monsieur revealed that Total had been supplying the arms money during the fighting in return for oil revnues. In response to the revelations Total’s man Jacques de Naurois made a statement in which he declared:
"Whatever the French foreign policy towards Africa was, [Total] was only concerned with oil"
This statement may have actually done more harm to Total than good as it reveals the truth- Total has only ever been concerned with oil and this is the reason why, just as they happily provide money to the genocide of the Karen people, they happily provided money to fuel one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 1990’s. As long as they get the oil Total just don’t care.

JOIN US IN LONDON ON AUGUST 8TH TO PROTEST IN MEMORY OF THE BURMESE PROTESTORS SLAUGHTERED ON 8/8/88 BY THE BURMESE REGIME NOW FUNDED BY TOTAL.

Art Against Total

2006-07-31T21:30:00.000Z

Char; an extremely talented human rights and democracy activist drew this brilliant picture from the Students Against Total protest on the last International Day of Action Against Total.

Protest for Burmese democracy and Human Rights on August 8th

REMEMBER 8/8/88

2006-07-30T09:35:00.000Z

On 8th August 1988 (8888) tens thousands of people across Burma rose up in peaceful demonstration against the military regime. Monks, Students, Civil Servants, Workers, Lawyers, Men, Women, Children all marched through the streets in defiance of the military brutality and demanding democracy.
They were massacred.
The regime ordered it's soldiers to fire into the crowds. As people lay dead and dying the regimes men forced many protestors back into lakes where they drowned whilst being fired upon by the soldiers. It was the bloodiest day in Burma's history and the thousands of deaths that day made it even worse than the Tianmen Square massacre in China a year later.
Eighteen years on the regime is still in place -supported by Total Oil.
Total invested in the regime knowing full well the atrocities committed in 1988; supplying the funds that the military thugs need to keep their grip on power.
In 2003 at Depying there was another massacre; using weapons bought with Totals money.
Furthermore hundreds of protestors from 8888 still languish in Burma's jails, beaten, tortured and sexually abused. Total has never mentioned them or asked for their release but has paid the regime the money needed to keep the barbaric prisons running.

This year on August 8th thousands of people around the world will march in remembrance of the heroes who gave their lives for democracy and in defiance of the regime who continues to oppress Burma eighteen years after it indiscriminately slaughtered innocent citizens.

There will be a protest march and rally in London including members of Burmese Democratic Movement Association UK, Burma Campaign UK and Amnesty International.

CLICK HERE FOR TIMES AND LOCATIONS

We urge everyone who can to turn out and remember the heroes of 1988, and while you do remember that it is Total who happily continues to put money into the pocket of the very regime who butchered thousands of Burmese people -and continue to do so today.

Human Rigths Abuses in Burma (part 6)

2006-07-12T20:18:00.000Z

Slave Labor and Child Soldiers-Burma’s industry is state controlled and often run on slave labor; usually using ethnic minorities or political prisoners. Since the regimes takeover in 1962 the use of Burmese children being used to build roads has been notorious. The United Nations International Labor Organization has accused the regime of a 'crime against humanity' for its systematic use of forced labor, used by the regime “to encourage private investment in infrastructure development, public sector works and tourism projects”. [1] The use of slave labor in any circumstances is barbaric but in its use by a government in the 21st century the horrific nature of slavery is exemplified. Even foreign investment in the country relies on forced labor; in 2005 Total Oil paid six villagers the equivalent of €3 million in order for them to withdraw from their long running court case accusing Total of forcing them to work on their Yanda pipeline. This action by Total is indicative that they were aware the court case would not find verdict in their favor and would compromise the ongoing use of forced labor on their pipeline. Due to large presence of forced labor in both the tourism and investment sectors in Burma the NLD has called on all supporters of democracy to boycott both.
As well as widespread slavery the Burmese regime are responsible for the highest number of child soldiers in the world; currently standing at 70 000 [2]. Children as young as 11 are picked up from market places and bus stops, taken from their families, regularly beaten and threatened with physical punishment if they try to escape. They are then forced to commit human rights abuses against civilian and engage in combat against ethnic militia and Thai insurgents.
"Burma's army preys on children, using threats, intimidation and often violence to force young boys to become soldiers. To be a boy in Burma today means facing the constant risk of being picked up off the street, forced to commit atrocities against villagers, and never seeing your family again."
International law recognizes the recruitment of any child under the age of fifteen as a war crime and the UN General Assembly prohibits the forced recruitment or the engaging in combat of any child under eighteen; a clear reason why the regime has not yet signed the Rights of the Child Protocol. [3]

[1] Burma Campaign UK
[2] Nation Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (in exile)
[3] Human Rights Watch

Students Against Total

2006-07-06T14:10:00.001Z

Who are Students Against Total?

Students Against Total is a pressure group made up of students opposed to Total Oil funding and committing human rights abuses in Burma. We aim to put pressure on Total to withdraw from Burma.

Why Total?

The human rights abuses committed by the Burmese regime are amongst the worst in the world. The regime has violated every human right through means from systematic ethnic cleansing to torture of political prisoners to destruction of all free press. Total Oil is by far the main supplier of funds to the regime and has never even raised any concerns about the human rights abuses they are funding. Furthermore Total are actively involved in human rights abuses themselves -the soldiers they employ to guard their pipeline have raped children and looted homes whilst the pipeline itself has been constructed through slave labor.

What about other oil companies-aren't they all as bad?

Students Against Total do not deny the human rights abuses of other oil companies such as Shell in Nigeria, Texaco in Burma and BP in Tibet and many members are involved in other campaigns as well as campaigns to clean up the oil industry as a whole. The human rights abuses committed by Total are however, still amonst the worst in the world and also an issue that till recently has not received fair attention. A consumer boycott of Total can force Total to leave Burma; leading to a situation where Total can become an ethical choice. Forcing Total to leave Burma will also have a knock-on affect on other oil companies to clear up their own human rights abuses. We also encourage people to look at oil companies on balance- choices such as Jet are certainly more ethical than Total.

How is Students Against Total Structured?

Students Against Total is made up of groups of students at schools, colleges and universities. To start up your own Students Against Total group e-mail us at studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

What actions does Students Against Total take?

Students Agaisnt Total seeks to achieve our goals through the following means:
Raising awareness about Total's human rights abuses through publicity campaigns -such as leaflet distribution
Rallying support on the internet through running the Boycott Total Oil website
Informing drivers about the human rights abuses that filling up at Total will fund by holding demonstrations at Total garages
Taking part in large national protests organized by groups such as Burma Campaign UK and Burmese Democratic Movement Association UK

What are the political or religious affiliations of Students Against Total?

Students Against Total is an independent group. We do however support other pressure groups for human rights in Burma such as BCUK and BDMA, as well as many of our members also supporting other movements for corporate accountability and development such as Baby Milk Action and the Trade Justice Movement.

Students Against Total is not formally associated to any political party but supports Aung Sann Suu Kyi and the National League of Democracy -the Burmese party for democracy. On our protests you can always spot several of our members proudly wearing NLD arm-bands.

Students Against Total support freedom of belief and have members from many different faiths and none.

Join Students Against Total today by sending an e-mail to studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

Enemies of the Burmese Revolution

2006-07-03T21:32:00.000Z

Last month underground democracy activists in Burma published and secretly distributed a list entitled Enemies of the Burmese Revolution . It contains the names of the five hundred and sixty eight individuals doing the most to stand in the way of democracy and freedom in Burma.

Alongside brutal dictator General Then Shwe, Regime thug U Tun Min Latt-renowned for beating political prisoners to death, Chinese dictator Hu Jianto and democracy-activist-turned-government-agent Dr. Zarni were a few more familiar faces:

Jean-Paul Vettier was Total's President of Refining and Marketing up to this year; from his comfy office in Paris he oversaw Total's investment in Burma coordinating Total's support for the regime, the employment of raping and looting soldiers and the systematic destruction of Burma's environment as well as the use of slave labor which, of course, 'never happened'

Also featured on this list is Michel Bénézit who took over from Vettier this year. He inherited Vettier's healthy wage-packet and continued the devastation of lives and country. Significantly Bénézit featured in Total's decision to pay off six villagers who had them in court for Total using them as slave labor on the Yadana pipeline. Total claimed that the villagers had never been used as slaves but decided to pay them anyway on the condition that they dropped the country case (suspicious??) -who says he doesn't earn his money?

Next up is Mr. O. Greiner, listed for his work as Total's CEO in the Netherlands. Mr. O Greiner apparently isn't important enough to have his photo published on Total's website but is certainly significant enough to appear in Enemies of the Burmese Revolution for his collaboration in some of the worst human rights abuses on the planet

Finally is our old friend Jean-François Lassalle. A known visitor to this site, Mr. Lassalle has been listed as an enemy of Burmese democracy for his work as Total's spin doctor- fronting elaborate claims over Total's decision to pay off six former slaves who had them in court and over the girl who was gang-raped by Burmese soldiers guarding the Yadana pipeline-an incident Mr. Lassalle cleverly dismissed by claiming an 'investigation' had proved the rape never happened but failing to provide any details of the investigation (including whose investigation it was!) or proof that it had even ever been carried out. He also lead Total's damage limitation missions when the international coalition led by Burma Campaign UK stepped up the heat last year.

The man who raped Burma....and the man who can save Burma

2006-06-13T22:10:00.000Z

For eleven years Thierry Desmarest (shown here) has run Total and in this time has turned it into the largest supporter of the military regime in Burma. Under him Total has:

>Provided the regime with nearly $450million

>Paid the Burmese army to patrol their pipeline despite stating “Total was well aware that the Army's presence in the region could have negative consequences for villages in the area.”

>Used forced labour of men, women and children on its pipeline

>Consistently turned a blind eye to the rapes, looting and murders carried out by the soldiers it employed

>Financially encouraged the French government to block any EU action against the military dictatorship

>Not once condemned the genocide of the Karen people, the torture of political prisoners, the use of rape as a weapon or the detention of Burmese democracy leaders including the democratically elected leader of the country Aung Sung Suu Kyi, despite providing the majority of the regimes funding

But all this can change. Next year Desmarest will step down to be replaced by this man- Christophe de Margerie. The man who declared "We have to go where the oil and gas is, though not at any cost", will become the new Chief Executive Officer of Total and will have the opportunity to: withdraw from Burma in order to end the company’s support for the regime, deter future foreign investment in Burma thereby cutting revenue to the regime and open the way to a French foreign policy that no longer undermines Burma’s pro-democracy movement.

We call on Mr. de Margerie to keep to his word and accept that genocide, oppression, slavery and rape is to high a cost for Burma’s oil and gas. Mr. de Margerie quite literally hold the future of the people of Burma in his hands-by his statement he has proved that he knows what it right- and we call on him to have the courage to act upon his words.

Contact Us

2006-06-06T22:35:00.000Z

If you have any questions, comments, would like advice on protests or actions, or just want to drop us a line you can e-mail us at studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks for your support

Human Rights Abuses in Burma (part 5)

2006-06-06T22:04:00.000Z

Neglect of the people-The SDPC, as the only military dictatorship in today’s world, has very little, if any, expertise in running a country and instead concentrates both its efforts and resources on suppressing the Burmese people and carrying out ethnic cleansing against minorities. This distribution of resources is a human rights abuse in itself; the regime currently spends 50% of its budget on the military and just 2% on health an education combined[1]. Economic mismanagement has left 75% of Burma’s population below the poverty line living on less than 60p per day. Infant mortality rate currently stands at 76 deaths per 100 live births whilst the under-five mortality rate stands at 107 deaths per 1000 live births; one of the worst situations in South-East Asia. The regime has done nothing to counter this and has made no attempts to provide clean water and agriculture to once-prosperous areas now suffering from malnutrition and Cholera. In fact, the regime is actively hindering the situation. Whilst 60 000 people, 1.3% of the population is now infected with an ever more out of control HIV/AIDS epidemic[2] the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has been forced to pull out of Burma. The Global Fund left on the basis that restriction imposed on their activity by the regime had left their aims impossible and arguably a waste of resources. Aid workers are not allowed to leave Rangoon without three weeks notice and even then areas of ‘military operations’ such as the genocide in the Karen region are off limits. Although UNAIDS and Medicines Sans Frontiers still have clinics in Burma, helping the people neglected by the regime, both are restricted especially in the limitation imposed on medical staff coming in from abroad. The regime has deemed all aid work an “interference”, leaving the remaining projects in danger of being forced to pull out.[3] After the 2005 Tsunami the regime refused to let in aid workers and put the number of dead at 300 despite UN estimates in the thousands.
This highlights the regimes disgraceful neglect of the people, and concentration on oppression and maintaining control whilst the country is racked by disease, poverty and malnutrition.

[1] Burma Campaign UK
[2]National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (in exile)
[3] BBC World News-Asia Pacific

Where is the truth?

2006-05-30T16:27:00.000Z

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.

AN OPEN LETTER TO TOTAL

2006-05-17T10:38:00.000Z

17th May 2006

To all Total Executives,
As you will already know the regime in control of Burma has, this month begun its worst onslaught against the Karen people since 1997. Already 15 000 people have been driven from their villages where the regimes soldiers have murdered civilians, raped women, taken slaves, destroyed rice fields and burnt homes. Landmines have already been laid along the Thai boarder by the regime, maiming anybody trying to escape. Reports have already emerged of children just weeks old being carried through mine fields, civilians being beheaded by the regimes soldiers and of one man tied to a tree and beaten to death while the people of the village were forced to watch. Thousands of Karen people are hiding in the jungles of Burma with no food, water or medical supplies, their villages having been burnt to the ground and their harvest destroyed by the regime.

Total Oil is the regime's biggest supplier of funds and yet has kept silent on these atrocities. We are calling upon you to publicly condemn the genocide of the Karen people and ask the regime to call a halt to the onslaught. Total may claim to not be involved in politics but by paying the regime is directly funding the genocide of the Karen people.

It is time to publicly condemn the genocide and call for it to stop.

International Day of Action Report

2006-05-12T19:04:00.000Z

TOTAL Oil is funding a regime that is slaughtering its own population...Shareholders must hold the directors to account, and make it clear the company must pull out of Burma. Shareholder dividends from TOTAL Oil are being paid for in the blood of Burma’s people.”

Yvette Mahon, Director of the Burma Campaign UK on the International Day of Action Against Total

All around the world today, to coincide with Total's AGM, Total Headquaters and petrol stations were surrounded by pro-democracy and human rights protesters calling for Total to leave Burma. Protests took place in many coutnries including UK, France, Ireland, Austria and the Netherlands. Here are a few photos from the Students Against Total Protest in Guildford:

Well done to everyone involved across the world!!!

FREE BURMA!!

Protest photos

2006-05-07T10:45:00.000Z

On Wednesday evening as the regime stepped up their genocide with the money provided by Total a small (but loud!) group of students descended on a Total station just outside Guildford to distribute leaflets and let people know what they were funding by filling up at Total.
The students stayed throughout rush hour and had great sucess in spreading the word about Total to would-be-customers, rallying support and collecting signatures for the Burma Campaign UK petition.

Click on a photo to enlarge:

The same group had previously held a demonstration outside another Guildford station on the last Internation Day of Action Against Total on Febuary 3rd:

Click here to watch The Students Against Total Video

Well done to all involved and good luck to all planning protest on the International Day of Action on May 12th.

If you are interested in joining protests in the Guildford area, finding advice on holding your own protests or wanting to share photos of your protests, e-mail studentsagainsttotal@hotmail.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST TOTAL

2006-05-01T18:10:00.000Z

12th May 2006

'Stand up and be counted for those MURDERED BY TOTAL'

Protests will take part at Total stations and offices across the world

Please take part!

The london protest will take place at

Total Oil HQ
33 Cavendish Square, London W1G OPW.
12.30-1.30pm.
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus.

If you are outside the UK you can find out if there is a protest in your country at http://www.burmcampaign.org.uk/links

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

MURDERED BY TOTAL (warning: article contains graphic images)

2006-04-30T20:24:00.000Z

"This week the regime has continued with a new military offensive, committing horrific human rights abuses against civilians of the Karen ethnic nationality. More than 11,000 people have been forced from their homes and are now homeless in the jungle with no food or medical supplies.
Regime soldiers are killing with impunity, even shooting children and beheading people. Despite this, on Thursday 27th April, the European Union renewed the EU Common Position on Burma (the joint EU government policy on Burma) without taking any steps to increase pressure on the regime. In effect they are saying that no further pressure needs to be put on the regime, everything is fine. This is disgraceful."

1. Without Total the regime would not have the money to carry out this genocide; the genocide is directly funded by people filling up at Total.....

2. Total make the French government millions of dollars per year and in return France shapes the EU Common Position on Burma to allow the genocide to continue-Total stops EU intervention.....

PLEASE HELP STOP TOTAL......

Friday 12th May is an Interntional Day of Action against Total- please protest at your local Total station or take part in the national protest at:

Total Oil HQ

33 Cavendish Square, London W1G OPW.

12.30-1.30pm.

Nearest tube: Oxford Circus.

If you are outside the UK you can find out if there is a protest in your country at http://www.burmcampaign.org.uk/links

PLEASE HELP STOP THE GENOCIDE

Links:

www.burmacampaign.org.uk

http://www.freeburmarangers.org/Reports/20060419.html#2

'Boycott Total Oil' (http:///totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com) is not formally associated to any other group.

Human Rights Abuses in Burma (part 4)

2006-04-26T16:59:00.000Z

Treatment of ethnic minorities-Burma is a country made up of many ethnic states and ethnic peoples. Whilst democracy campaigns focus of peaceful relationships between all ethnic groups (Aung Sung Suu Kyi has the support of all ethnic groups and the NLD is closely allied to ethnic parties such as the Shan National League for Democracy-SNLD) the regime and their thugs have long persecuted ethnic minorities. Among the worst persecuted are the Karen people, a mainly Christian minority from the South of Burma. The regime is committed to the destruction of the Karen race and frequently attack villages murdering all inhabitants including men, women, children and, sickeningly, infants.[1] The gradual destruction of the Karen people is a situation viewed by many world leaders as a current and ongoing genocide. The construction of a Texaco pipeline in the Karen region has been used as an excuse for soldiers protecting the pipeline to implement a shoot to kill policy in order to ‘protect the pipeline’. In reality this allows soldiers to attack Karen villages in the close proximity in an attempt to either destroy settlements or drive villages across the border into Thailand. [2]
Incidents of rape by the Tatmadaw (Burmese army) in ethnic nationality areas are documented in recent reports such as “License to Rape” (Shan Women Action Network), “Shattered Silence” (Karen Women Organization) and “Cat Walk to the Barracks” (Human Rights Foundation of Monland) [3]. The fact that the regime views ethnic minorities as sub-human allows soldiers to kidnap and rape any women they desire from ethnic areas. In 2005 a fourteen year old girl was raped by sixteen soldiers guarding Total’s pipeline in the Yanda region, an incident that Burmese authorities attempted to silence by threatening the girls family.
The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, an exiled government made of a representatives legitimately elected in the 1990 election have recently documented,
“Increased deployment of armed forces in areas of ethnic nationalities and persecution of civilians resulting a massive displacement of people”
Furthermore they highlight the risk of civil war created by the regimes arrest of ethnic leaders in the Shan region. The regime frequently vilify ethnic militia groups such as the Karen National Union, created to defend their people from the Burmese Army. In 2003 many people were killed in bomb blasts in Rangoon, attacks which appear to have been carried out by the regime itself in order to blame the KNU. This demonstrates the regimes willingness to kill innocent Burmese civilians in an attempt to vilify those brave enough to defend their people. In 2006 the regime broke all rules of war by attacking a meeting of the Shan State Army. The SSA was on a ceasefire and leaders were meeting for a discussion when Burmese troops deliberately shelled the building in an attempt to murder prominent Shan generals posing no threat.[4] This is further illustrative of the murders the regime is prepared to commit in order to suppress the ethnic minorities of Burma.

[1] Burma Campaign UK
[2] There are frequent accounts of Thai authorities arresting Karen refugees and demanding large sums of money. If this sum is not raised and handed over the Karen are deported back to Burma for execution
[3] Nation Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (in exile)
[4] Rebound 88

Upcoming Talks

2006-04-20T09:30:00.000Z

Past Events in RED

Charm Tong to speak in London
Date: Sunday 23rd April
Place: Khalili Lecture Theatre-SOAS (Russell Sqaure Building) Centeral London
Nearest Stations: Russell Square (Piccadilly Line), Goodge Street(Northern Line), Euston or Warren Square (Victoria & Northern Lines).Buses: numbers 7, 68, 91, 168 and 188 stop near Russell Square; 10, 24, 29,73 and 134 stop on Tottenham Court Road (north bound) or Gower Street (southbound).

ENTRANCE: FREE

Come and hear Burmese democracy activist Charm Tong of the Shan Women's Action Network speak about the situation in Burma and what the international community can do to help.Other speakers include Ben Rogers - Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and MarkFarmaner - Burma Campaign UK. Chair; Guy Craft, SOAS Student Union.Speeches will be followed by Q&A session.

Organised by SOAS Student Union, Burma Campaign UK and Christian SolidarityWorldwide.

Charm Tong Biography
When she was only seventeen, Charm Tong, along with other Shan women activeon the Thai-Burma border, founded the Shan Women¹s Action Network (SWAN), anorganization dedicated to stopping the exploitation of and violence againstwomen and children. Three years later, recognizing that their lack of education leaves Shanyouth more vulnerable to being trafficked or lured into exploitativeactivities, Charm Tong founded The School for Shan State NationalitiesYouth. The school works to empower and build the capacity of the students tobecome leaders in their communities. Burma human rights and democracymovement now views the school as a model for training young people in humanrights. The school also provides English-language lessons and computertraining to Shan youth as well as those from other ethnic minorities.More recently, Charm Tong became instrumental in launching a campaign tobring attention to the systematic use of rape of Shan women by the Burmesemilitary. The campaign, based on a report called ³License to Rape,²received considerable international attention. The Thai government fearedthat the campaign would threaten its ties with the Burmese regime, however,and closed down the SWAN office. Even with rumours circulating that SWANmembers have been targeted for reprisals, Charm Tong remains undeterred. ³Ipromised the women who have endured this brutality,² she says, ³that I wouldspeak out about all the horrible acts against them.² Charm Tong¹s courage is legendary. She first testified before the UnitedNations Commission on Human Rights at the age of seventeen and she oncelobbied a resistance commander to allow SWAN activists to educate women inareas under his control.Chang Tong has received several awards, ranging from the Marie Claire Womenof the Year award to the Reebok Human Rights Award.In October 2005 Charm Tong had a 50 minute meeting with US President GeorgeW. Bush. ³The military has done lots of things to damage our hearts, our beliefs, oursouls, and our rights,² she once wrote. ³It is difficult for people toforget all kinds of violations that the military committed. There are stillmore and more violations of human rights in Burma, especially in the ruraland border areas. The best thing we can do is to fight with our hearts andminds, so that we are not in fear and pain."

Guest Lecture: Professor Charles Lock, University of Copenhagen The Legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa: Heroic Activism and Rotten English

Date: Thursday 25 January 2007, 6.30 pm

Place: Room 309, Richard Hoggart Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW

Admission: FREE

In connection with Sokari Douglas Camp’s ‘Living Memorial’ to Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Professor of English Literature at the University of Copenhagen, Charles Lock, will deliver a guest lecture entitled: ‘The Legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa: Heroic Activism and Rotten English’. The Lecture will be introduced by Professor Helen Carr, Director of the Pinter Centre at Goldsmiths. Ken Saro-Wiwa, devoted his life to the protection and advancement of the Ogoni, an oil-rich area of the Niger Delta. As founder of MOSOP (the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People), Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues were executed by the Nigerian government 11 years ago for protesting against the devastation of the Niger Delta by western oil corporations, to worldwide condemnation at the time. A prolific writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa is renowned for Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English (1985), which is now recognized as a classic modern literature text. Professor Charles Lock has been an active supporter of MOSOP for many years. He has contributed substantially to the criticism of Saro-Wiwa's literary achievement. Please contact Goldsmiths on 020 7919 7436, or e-mail m.macdonald@gold.ac.uk for further information. For a map and travel information please visit www.goldsmiths.ac.uk The lecture is followed by a reception. All welcome to attend.

Dear Total.......(part 2)

2006-04-20T09:17:00.001Z

11 days after our e-mail to Mr. Lassalle we have finally recieved a reply; one denying British American Tobacco ever really left Burma, denying the rape of the Burmese girl by soldiers guarding Total's pipline, blaming HIV/AIDS in Burma on sanctions and on Aung San Suu Kyi stating:
"Elections may give legitimacy, but they doesn't necessarily make you right."
So another piece of cooporate spin beffed up with lengthy quotes from reports (bizzarley enough from other investors in Burma) churned out to defend Total's funding of the regime......here are the highlights:

On BAT withdrawing from Burma:
One thing is certain - according to press reports (see Associated Press Worldstream "British American Tobacco announces Myanmar divestment plan" and Company News Feed "British American Tobacco to sell its holding in Myanmar/Burma", both dated November 6, 2003), Rothman's brand "London" and "State Express 555" cigarettes are still produced under licence (as before) for local sale. So it is only that the equity arrangements have changed.

On Aung San Suu Kyi calling for sanctions:
However worthy the thoughts in ASSK's message may be, they do not convey the same message as a very comprehensive and independent report entitled "Myanmar Textile & Garment Industry - Qualitative & Desk Research" dated November 2003, to give only one example. I have only a paper copy of this report which is 102 pages long, but I have scanned and pasted below some passages for you. Â There is no doubt that the Burmese people are suffering from those sanctions.

Your statement reminds me of a famous saying of Stalin: "You are wrong because you are the minority". Elections may give legitimacy, but they doesn't necessarily make you right.

On whether Total recognise Aung San Suu Kri's legitimacy [notice how he will never directly answer this question!]:
I'm afraid your question is not the issue. It is not because we work in a particular country that we recognise its regime or endorse its political choices. As you know, there is a Mynmar Ambassador Â in London, in Paris, at the EU in Brussels and in New-York. Moreover, UK, France, Italy and Germany have ambassadors in Yangon and the UN has a sizeable representation there. Â Do you think your governement, the French government, the EU Parliament, or the United Nations are in agreement with the Junta because they receive their envoys and hold discussions with them ?

On the 14 year old girl raped by 16 soldiers guarding Total's pipeline:
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.

and our reply.........

Dear Mr. Lassalle,
I find some serious problems in your answers to my questions that I hope you will be able to clear up.
Firstly while I agree that BAT’s investment in Burma is a complex issue this cannot be used to justify Total’s investment. BAT products may still be produced under licence but their withdrawal from Burma sent a strong message to current and potential investors that investing in one of the worst regimes on the planet is unacceptable. This has since played a part in the disinvestment of other companies, such as Lauda Air, from Burma. A withdrawal of Total’s investments would inevitably send a similar or larger message and prove a huge move forward for the country. Furthermore BAT’s actions were welcomed by the Burma Campaign UK; an independent group working solely for human rights in Burma. I find it difficult to accept the view of a multinational (Total) making millions of dollars from their investment in Burma that BAT’s move was irrelevant, when it was hailed as such a move forward by those concerned solely with the welfare of the Burmese people.
Regarding the effectiveness of sanctions you use an industrial report to dismiss the view of a democratically elected leader. Your statement that “It is easy to claim high moral values while leading a comfortable life in Europe, far from the realities of life in Burma” seems to me somewhat hypocritical whilst you and other Total executives lead incredibly comfortable lives in Europe and refuse to withdraw whilst Aung Sung San Kyi who is current in her spent tenth year of detention in Burma calls for sanctions. I believe that Suu Kyi has far more experience and knowledge of “the realities of life in Burma” than you and the other executives at Total. If you are claiming that I am not aware of the realties of life in Burma I can assure you that as my family have lived under the regime I am more than aware of the realities.
Your claim that sanctions would hurt the people of Burma also misses a vital point; the regime, which only survives because of funding by companies such as Total, has caused infinitely more damage to the country and the people than sanctions ever have or will; I need only point you to the massacre of democracy protestors in 2003 and remind you that this is the government Total is funding.
You claim that the Medicines Sans Frontiers experienced an increase in the number of HIV/AIDS patients it treated after the closure of the Triumph factory in Burma. May I point out to you that MSF have complained that their mission is becoming increasingly ineffective due to the restrictions placed on them by the regime. For the same reason UNAIDS has been forced to pull out of Burma. The reason HIV/AIDS is becoming an ever increasing problem is not because of sanctions, it is because the regime spend 50% of its annual income on military to continue oppression and genocide and just 2% on health and education combined whilst restricting HIV/AIDS charities to a degree that they cannot effectively operate. May I also point out that HIV/AIDS has increased perhaps 100% since the regime fist took power and that one of the reasons cited for the epidemic is the widespread rape of ethnic women by the Tatmadaw. The regime, surviving on income from companies such as Total, and not sanctions, is responsible for the thousands of people suffering as you describe. Has Total ever advised the regime to spend more of the money it provides on HIV/AIDS projects than on the military? (As I am sure you are aware the entirety of Totals first payment to the regime was spent of military aircraft).
With regards to the legitimacy of Aung San Suu Kyi may I firstly suggest that comparing the sentiments of your critics to 20th century dictators is not a particularly promising move in public relations? Secondly your statement that “Elections may give legitimacy, but they doesn't [don’t?] necessarily make you right” is a fundamentally flawed and frankly bizarre justification for Total’s investments in Burma. Who is Total to judge whether the decisions of a democratically elected leader are right or wrong and then go on to directly violate these decisions? Your statement implies that your recognize Suu Kyi’s legitimacy but as you deem her decision for foreign investors not pull out of Burma to be “wrong” you have continued your investment. I can only derive from this that Total is happy to do business with anybody in control of a countries oil supply regardless of the democratically elected leaders sentiment; this is hardly an appropriate policy for a multinational claiming to “apply their best ethical standards”.
Furthermore it is inconsistent to compare diplomatic missions from the US/UK/UN etc. to Total’s investment. Diplomatic representation does not provide the funding or support of a multinational such as Total and whilst the US, UK and UN have all been openly critical of the regimes appalling human rights abuses there is a distinct absence of the same criticism from Total.
Finally whilst I am happy to here that the young girl raped by soldiers guarding Total’s pipeline was never raped excuse me for being slightly dubious of you assurances. Both Western newspapers (including the LA times) and Burmese Free Press Agencies (including Rebound88) along with several Human Rights have claimed that the girl was indeed raped. Would you be able to reassure me by telling me the form that your investigation took (were their independent investigators called in, interviews with villages, examination of the Tatmadaw etc.?) and send me a copy of the report produced? If you do not have an electronic copy of the investigations report I would be happy to provide a mailing address for a paper copy.
Yours sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

You can e-mail Jean Francois Lassalle to directly tell him what you think of Total's investment at: Jean-Francois.LASSALLE@total.com

The Pepsi Boycott (1991-1997)

2006-04-14T08:29:00.000Z

From 1991 until 1997 Pepsi invested in the Burmese military regime which is responsible for some of the worst human rights violations in the world. Pepsi's involvement saw one of the biggest Burma-related boycotts in history -on a par with those against Texaco, running around the same time, and nearly as large as the current boycott against Total Oil. Pepsi formally began their investment in Burma in November 1991 when they opened a bottling plant in the then-capital Rangoon, in direct contradiction to Aung San Suu Kyi's and the National League for Democracy's requests for no foreign investment in Burma until it returned to democracy. The campaign agaisnt Pepsi was initiated by the Asian-based Burma Rights Movement for Action but was not taken up seriously in the West as Burmese human rights groups at the time were focussed on Texaco, amaco and Petro-Canada. When Petro-Canada left Burma, however Canadian and US based Burmese demcoracy groups took up the campaign with huge dedication-it received a massive boost when, in 1996, the Free Burma Coalition took the lead in forcing Pepsi out of American Universities including the scrapping of a $1 million deal at Harvard. The campaign then began to spread to Europe where a huge boycott took hold. In response, in 1996 Pepsi attempted to step out of the spotlight by selling their Burmese investment to their sister company and making it a franchise. Aung Sung Suu Kyi responded "As far as we are concerned, Pepsi has not divested from Burma" and both human rights and environmental groups continued pressure on Pepsi. Eventually, with the Burmese regime holding violent anti-democracy rallies and pressure from around the world mounting, Pepsi cut all ties with Burma on 31 May 1997 but would never, as other companies have upon leaving the country, admit that it was morally wrong to invest in Burma.

Links:

Third world traveller-a historical look at the Pepsico/Burma Boycott
Harvard Student Activists-Pesi's retreat

Totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com members have posted this article on Wikipedia
Totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com is not directly associated to any other group

Human Rights Abuses in Burma (part 3)

2006-04-13T13:53:00.000Z

‘Methods of control’- Burmese authorities impose their will on the people through a variety of human rights abuses. Torture, both physical and psychological, is routinely used in order to interrogate or punish political opponents or suspected ‘dissidents’,
“I received several severe electric shocks. The authorities pierced the flesh around my wrists with a strop of wire and then coiled the rest around my handcuffs. They then slowly began turning the generator until I began to shake uncontrollably and involuntary spasms contracted my muscles. The authorities would gradually increase the speed with which they turned the generator until the current was such that my whole body was thrown clear across the room. This continued for ten times each day” [1]. This account from just one political prisoner demonstrates the routine torture by the authorities in Burmese jails. Long prison sentences for actions such a free speech are also commonplace as demonstrated by the hundreds still in jail for their part in the 8888 protests; Amnesty International currently estimates that there are approximately one thousand one hundred political prisoners facing harsh prison conditions and subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment.[2] The military oppression and massacres of those taking part in protests also demonstrates the barbaric violence which the regime use to impose their will upon the country.
Psychological intimidation through the use of such methods as ‘the pitch-black cell’ are common, a prisoner suffering such fate described the conditions,
“When they closed the door, there was no light…Furthermore there was no bamboo bat, no blanket and no chamber pot.”[3] This is just one form of torture used in cells by the regime, other cases frequently demonstrate prisoners being forced to live in their own feces or subjected to homosexual rape by soldiers[4].
The families of political ‘dissidents’ and others the regime deems to be ‘undesirable’ are also used in intimidation. From children being refused education to women being raped the regime has demonstrated how it is prepared to go to any lengths to maintain its control. In January 2006 four year old Ei Po Po became the youngest political detainee in the world when the regime arrested her is response to her fathers peaceful support for Aung Sung Suu Kyi. Extra-judicial executions occur frequently as there is no separation between the regime and the judiciary. As well as hangings the amputations of limbs has also been used as a punishment.
These barbaric practices are illustrative of how, as well as being the only military regime in the world the SPDC is the worst human rights abuser in the world; and issue that must be addressed by the UN. Currently the Burma Campaign UK is raising money to send former political prisoners to Europe to give eyewitness testimony to governments in order to persuade the UN to take action, possibly one of the most worthwhile human rights campaigns to date.

[1] Burma Campaign UK
[2] Amnesty International/National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (in exile)
[3] Burma Campaign UK
[4] Rebound 88

Protest! Protest! Protest!

2006-04-12T17:14:00.000Z

Here is a link to a very disturbing picture. So disturbing that we’d only put up a link and not the actually photo because it’s only fair that people are given due warning. But it’s certainly worth a look- it shows a Karen man recently tortured and executed by the Burmese army. The genocide of the Karen people is intensifying-as an insider in Burma reports:

“Troops have killed over 100 Karen people, displaced thousands more and burned down villages and crops in an ongoing crackdown that intensified last month”

These 100 deaths are only the recent ones; adding to a sickening death toll-the genocide of the Karen is one of the regimes most prominent policies, one which they dedicate nearly 50% of their annual income to, and one which is funded by Total.
It’s an undisputable fact- the first payment by Total to the regime was used to by military weapons –these weapons were then used in the genocide of the Karen, a trend which has continued ever since. Filling up a Total directly funds the regime, and the genocide.
And the worst thing about this? People are funding it without even knowing it. Thousands of people will fill up at Total everyday completely oblivious to the genocide their money is going towards. And if a lot of them knew they wouldn’t be there filling up.
So what’s the best way to get the message across? One of the best ways we found is to hold a protest outside your local Total garage. Provided you do it peacefully it’s completely legal. Set up some banners, hand out leaflets to drivers and let people know what they will be funding if they will up at Total. It works! In just two hours at our last protest we had over thirty people drive out without filling up after we talked to them and countless more drove by and shouted their support.
So how do you go about sorting out a protest? The first thing to do is get together your fellow activists-friends, classmates, workmates; anyone who wants to join in. You can make your own banners or if you sign up to the Burma campaign (http://www.burmcampaign.org.uk/) you can ask them for free posters. Then you need some leaflets to give the drives, again you can send off to the Burma campaign for these or make your own. Then just head down to the nearest Total station for an hour and two and let people know what they are funding. You’ll be amazed how well it work-and remember-this spreads, every person who you talk to is likely to tell at least one or two other people or show some others the leaflets!
So get down there and let people know what Total are doing-remember-you can make a difference.

UPCOMING PROTESTS

2006-04-11T16:13:00.000Z

Past Events in RED

Tuesday 18th April 2006
Protest against Shwe Gas Project- Shwe Gas is a new gas exploration project in Burma that could earn theregime billions of dollars. April 18th is an international day of action against the project, with protests taking place all over the world.In the UK the protest will be at the offices of Daewoo International, the South Korean company that is the main investor in the project.
Time: 12:30-14:30
Place: Daewoo International, 10th Floor Cl Tower, St. George's Square, High Street New Malden, Surrey KT3 4HH.
Nearest Station: New Malden.
http://www.shwe.org/

Tuesday 2nd May 2006
Amnesty International Protest- Baroness Cox and other MPs will meet members of Amnesty International in Berkeley Square,before proceeding to the Burmese embassy to present the ambassador with petitions for the release of several Prisoners of Conscience. Please come. Exercise your right to free speech and peaceful assembly. Support us "roadside hooligans", as Burmese military regime have called us.
Time: 14:00
Place: Berkely Sqaure (London)
Nearest Station: Bond Street (underground)
kalimbwa2@yahoo.co.uk
www.bdmauk.org

Friday 12th May 2006
International Day of Action Against Total- stand up and be counted!! Tell Total that you are sick of their human rights abuses in Burma and that you want them out now!
Time: 12:30-13:30
Place: Total Oil HQ, 33 Cavendish Square, London W1G OPW.
Nearest station: Oxford Circus (underground)
www.burmacampaign.org.uk

Tuesday 16th May 2006
Stop the Genocide-UN SECURITY COUNCIL MUST ACT TO STOP ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS IN EASTERN BURMA Over the past week more than 11,000 people in Karen State have been forced to flee their villages, and the number is rising every day in the the worst offensive by Burma’s junta since 1997. According to the Thai authorities, almost 2,000 have fled to the Thai border where they are living under plastic sheets in a temporary camp. But thousands more are being hunted in the jungle, without basic food, medicine or shelter. As the Burma Army seeks out ethnic armed resistance groups in the areas East of the new Burmese capital, Pyinmana, they have been pushing innocent villagers into forced relocation camps, turning villages into 'free-fire' zones, kidnapping people for forced labour, burning and stealing food stocks, shooting and killing indiscriminately, raping, torturing, and laying landmines.We cannot allow this to continue. It is time for the UN Security Council to take action to stop these attacks.There will be a global day of action on May 16th to stop the violence in eastern Burma and demand UN Security Council action.In the UK we will be holding a demonstration outside the Burmese Embassy
Time: 12.30-14.00
Place: Burmese Embassy 19A Charles StreetBerkeley SquareLondon W1J 5DX
Nearest station: Green Park (underground)
www.burmacampaign.org.uk

Friday 26h May 2006
16th Anniversary of 1990 General Elections Victory by N.L.D- It’s been 16 years that The National League for Democracy - NLD won a landslide victory with 82 percent of support from the people allowing the party 392 of 485 seats in the parliament. In the multiparty general elections held on May 27, 1990, the people of Burma voted for the representatives of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other democratic parties. However, the elections result has been ignored by military regime since 1990.Therefore we are staging a demonstration outside Burmese Embassy to mark 16th Anniversary of 1990 Elections Victory.

Time: 14:00

Place: Burmese Embassy 19a Charles St, London
Nearest Station: Green Park (underground)
www.bdmauk.org

Monday 19th June 2006
Aung San Suu Kyi's 61st Birthday- Aung San Suu Kyi will spend yet another birthday underarrest. Last year protests and events around her birthday helped raise herprofile and keep her safe. The publicity also pushed Burma up the politicalagenda, resulting in the first ever debate on Burma at the UN SecurityCouncil. This year we need to repeat the successful 60th birthday campaign.One of the main actions will be protests at Burmese Embassies or government Foreign Ministries around the world. PUT THIS IN YOUR DIARY NOW! We will be joined by celebrities and politicians who will be handing in a letter to the embassy demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma.
Time: 12:30-14:00
Place: Burmese Embassy 19a Charles St, London
Nearest Station: Green Park (underground)
www.burmacampaign.org.uk

Tuesday 8th August 2006
18th Anniversary of the 8/8/88 massacre-the bloddiest day in Burmese history. On this day the Burmese regime massacred thousands of unarmed students, monks and workers who protested for democracy (see here for more information).

Programme:

11:30 Rendevous Berkley Sqaure (nearest tube station: Berkley Sqaure)
12:30 March to Burmese Embassy (19a Charles Street –nearest tube station: Green Park)
12:40-13:30 Protest/Commemoration at Burmese Embassy
13:30-14:30 Public Rally in Green Park

For further information e-mail info@bdmauk.org or bdma@bdmauk.org

Visit www.bdmauk.org

Please show your solidarity with those who died in the name of democracy and human rights on 8/8/88 and those who continue to suffer under the opression in Burma.

(totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com is not formally attached to any other group)

Dear Total.......(part 1)

2006-04-08T08:23:00.000Z

This is Jean Francois Lassalle-Total's PR man. It's his job to put a good spin on Total's investment in Burma....that's a pretty hard job considering the rape, torture and genocide but that's why he's paid tens of thousands of euro's a year. It was Lassalle who was sent to Scandenavia on a damage-limitation mission when one of Norway's biggest newspapers called for people to stop investing in Total -about the same time that in Holland television adverts calling for the boycott were screened and protestors laid hundreds of fake corpses outside Total's heaquarters.

So since last year we've been e-mailing Mr. Lassalle to tell him first hand how sick we are of Total's human rights abuses. From now on each e-mail and each reply will be posted up here for you to see our questions to Total and Total's attempts at justifying their actions.

We sent out first e-mail of the year this morning.....

09:18 08 April 2006

Dear Mr. Lassalle,
I apologize that it has been so long since my last e-mail. I have a few points to raise with you regarding our previous discussion regarding the situation in Burma.
Firstly you claim that should Total withdraw they would simply be replaced by another multinational and that British American Tobacco (previously the largest investor in Burma) was replace by "Rothmans Pall Mall" (your e-mail on December 22nd 2005). I think you will find that Rothman of Pall Mall, to whom I presume your refer, was the name for BAT's Burmese subsidiary and ceased all investments in Burma after an international campaign in 2003.
You also state the economic investment will help the people of Burma. May I remind you of Aung Sann Suu Kyi's (the democratically elected leader of Burma) thoughts on the issue of sanctions:

“I don’t think we have found evidence that sanctions have harmed the Burmese people, because they have been clearly limited and many of those who have suffered under sanctions have belonged to the business community. Naturally some ordinary employees have been exposed, but we have not yet found proof that large numbers of Burmese have suffered as a result of sanctions. Sanctions have a role to play because they are a strong political message. But also because they are an economic message. ”

How can you suggest that economic investment is good for Burma when Aung Sung Suu Kyi, who won 80.82% of seats in the last election is in favor of sanctions.

This brings me on to the fundamental question which you have missed in my previous e-mails. Do Total recognize Suu Kyi's legitimacy? The last democratic election in Burma was held in 1990 and the National League for democracy won 80.82% of the seats with 52.44% of the vote (creating a more democratically legitimate government than in either the UK or France). It is also significant that a large proportion of the remaining votes went to parties allied to the NLD -the Shan National league for Democracy, Karen National League for Democracy etc. Do Total-therefore, recognize Aung Sung Suu Kyi as the legitimate leader of the country and the NLD and allies as the legitimate ruling party or do you recognize general Than Shwe and his military regime as the legitimate rulers?

Finally on November 22nd last year you told me
"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."
This was in reference to a fourteen year old Burmese girl being raped by a gang of up to sixteen soldiers guarding the Total pipeline. It has been over five months since you ensured me an investigation was underway-what has happened since? Has Total found the soldiers responsible? Has Total pressured the Tatmadaw/regime to hold an internal investigation? Has Total called in external investigators to ensure that the case is investigated fairly? Has Total issued a public statement condemning the rapes?

I await your replies,

Yours sincerely,

**************

We'll post up Mr. Lassalle's reply as soon as we recieve it......

Why Total? Why now?

2006-04-07T09:24:00.000Z

Welcome,
And thank you for joining the global boycott of Total Oil. Since the global campaign against Total was launched by Burmese democracy movements around the world it has become the biggest ever campaign to get a foreign investor out of Burma- even bigger than the campaigns that got Pepsi, Petro-Canada and British American Tobacco (the three previous biggest investors) out of Burma during the 90’s and early 2000’s.
And we want you to be part of it. So why is this campaign so big, and so important? There’s two reasons-firstly this works. When Pepsi were forced out of Burma in 1997 after a massive six year international campaign the regime lost millions of dollars a year causing them to cut back on the military spending used for their genocide. The level of public outcry against Pepsi meant that no soft drinks company moved in to fill the gap-the portion of the regimes funding was gone forever. Similarly when and international campaign forced British American Tobacco (the largest foreign investor before Total) out of Burma in 2001 no tobacco company moved in to take up the contract-so disgusted was the industry at the use of slave labor and funding of genocide, as well as fear of the public backlash faced by BAT. Since the campaign started British MP’s lobbied by people like yourselves, have told Total enough is enough and to get out. This action works (most recently in forcing Lauda Air to stop investing in the regime) and you can be part of it.
Secondly Burma is at a pivotal time. Total is the last major foreign investor, for the first time in history the UN Security Council are looking at action to take to move Burma towards democracy, and the outside world is becoming increasingly intolerant of the worst human rights abuses committed by mankind. This is the final push-a withdrawal by Total would loose the regime their last major backer, have a knock-on affect on all the smaller companies investing in Burma and give France no more reason to veto EU and UN resolution against Burma.
So we can get Total out of Burma-and this will lead Burma to democracy. But this needs to happen soon-the regime are continuing their genocide against ethnic minorities and whilst they spend 50% of their income on military forces to carry out such genocide they spend just 2% on health and education combined, leaving HIV/AIDS and malnutrition sweeping through and destroying this once beautiful country.
In Aung Sung Suu Kyi Burma has a democratically elected leader who won 83% of the vote at the last election, but she remains in house arrest whilst the regime, propped up by Total, keep power by any means necessary.
Please get Total out and save Burma

Human Rights Abuses in Burma (part 2)

2006-04-05T20:24:00.000Z

In 1999 the regime even demonstrated that they were prepared to imprison foreign citizens for speaking out; James Mawdsley, a Roman Catholic aid worker was sentenced to seven years in jail for carrying pro-democracy leaflets. He was placed in solitary confinement and beaten by guards while the UK and UN pressured the regime for his release. Eventually Mawdsley was released in 2002 with the then Foreign Sectary Robin Cook stating:
"James's only crime was to highlight the suppression of ethnic minorities in Burma and to call for democratic change". [1]
Freedom of press is also non-existent in Burma; a situation reflected by the country rating 165 out of 167 in Reporters Without Borders free press index [2]. All legal media is controlled by the regime and newspapers are forced to print propaganda and omit any stories critical of the regime. The main newspaper “The New Light of Myanmar” frequently attacks the NLD and since Desmond Tutu and Vaclac Havel have published a report urging the UNSC to intervene in Burma propaganda against the two has featured in almost every issue;
“”Those intent on destroying Myanmar feature,
get into acts of destruction
Purposefully throw stones,
actually it is you who will be disfigured,
Myanmar will retain status quo, and
Will move ahead with chin up.”
This is just one example of the aggressive articles and poetry used as propaganda to discredit pro-democracy campaigners. Just days after a new report revealed that Burma is the most conflict prone nation in the world “The New Light of Myanmar” asked “Where is this Threat to the Peace?”, demonstrating the lies and denial propagated by the regime.[3]
Reporters who deny the regimes strict censorship are often imprisoned or tortured; in 1997 Khin Maung Win, a journalist was sentenced to seven years in prison for his part in making a video interview with Aung San Suu Kyi and smuggling it out of the country. [4] Despite this several Burmese journalists, at great risk to their own lives and liberty send information out of the country to independent press agencies such as Rebound 88, a Burmese Free Press website (www.rebound88.net). This is, however, only appropriate for conveying news of Burma to the outside world as the regime implements strict internet censorship,
“This country is among the very worst enemies of Internet freedom and in many ways its policies are worse than China’s” [5]
This includes the blocking of websites, prohibition of all web-based e-mail and the monitoring of computers every five minute by the military, preventing the viewing of such free press as Rebound 88.
Since 1992, however, Burmese students exiled in Norway have run Democratic Voice of Burma, a radio station broadcasting independent news collected by secret reporters in Burma, back into the country for two hours per-day via short-wave transmission from Norway. This has proved impossible for the regime to block and DVB have launched a satellite television channel to broadcast in Burma for two hours per-week. Although people found listening to or watching DVB broadcasts face severe penalties and even imprisonment this has not deterred the thousands who tune in to receive real, unbiased news, including many listeners in the lower levels of the government. DVB remains the only free, yet outlawed, form of media in Burma, stating,
“Our mission is to provide accurate and unbiased news and to promote understanding and cooperation amongst the various ethnic and religious groups of Burma”. [6] As there is no state religion the regime is fearful of religions as institutions potentially hostile to their rule, indeed many Buddhist monks were involved in the 8888 peaceful uprising. As a result the regime oppresses religious practice in order to prevent what they deem to be ‘subversion’. The US Department of State report on religious freedom in Burma stated,
“the Government imposes restrictions on certain religious activities and frequently abuses the right to freedom of religion… It systematically restricted efforts by Buddhist clergy to promote human rights and political freedom [and] discouraged or prohibited minority religions from constructing new places of worship.” [7]
Freedom of movement is also restricted in Burma and police or military surveillance on people deemed to be potentially dangerous to the regime (or in favor of human rights) is commonplace. The ability to enter or leave the country is also severely restricted as the regime cannot afford to loose the amount of doctors or skilled workers who wish to leave, or for people aware of the human rights situation to give first hand accounts to western governments or charities. As a result the families of those temporarily leaving are used to ensure their return; if somebody stays outside Burma longer than permitted by the regime it is not unusual for members of their family to be imprisoned or tortured.
Finally following the student protests of 1888 the regime closed Burma’s universities, depriving the population of education. In recent years some universities have re-opened teaching government propaganda to those approved of by the regime; in reality freedom of education does not exist in Burma. [8]
[1] BBC news
[2] Reporters Sans Frontiers
[3] Burma Campaign News
[4] Reporters Sans Frontiers
[4] Reporters Sans Frontiers
[6] Democratic Voice of Burma
[7] US Department of State
[8] This has led to the fear that essential skills will be lost and when Burma returns to a democracy it will be lacking doctors, engineers, economists and other crucial roles. To counter this ‘Prospect Burma’, a charity to fund degrees for Burmese exiles, has been set up in Europe.

Amnesty International Protest for Burma

2006-03-30T10:26:00.000Z

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PROTEST FOR BURMA

At 2pm on Tuesday 2 May 2006 Baroness Cox and other MPs will meet members of Amnesty International in Berkeley Square [the nearest tube station is Bond Street],before proceeding to the Burmese embassy to present the ambassador with petitions for the release of several Prisoners of Conscience. Please come. Exercise your right to free speech and peaceful assembly. Support us "roadside hooligans", as Burmese military regime have called us.

Tony fairman (Burma Co-ordinator for Amnesty International)

For More info contact Tony Fairman at kalimbwa2@yahoo.co.uk

www.bdmauk.org

(Totalitarian-oil.blogspot.com is not attached to or endorsed by BDMA or Amnesty International in any way)

Human Rights Abuses in Burma (part 1)

2006-03-29T16:00:00.000Z

Since the military regime took power by force in 1962 the people of Burma have consistently suffered some of the worst human rights abuses in the world. Dictator General Than Shwe has for successive years sat third on Amnesty International’s list of the ten worst dictators, above the likes of Robert Mugabe and Hu Jintao, while practically every human rights campaign in the world has severely criticised the regimes treatment of the Burmese people. Furthermore the appalling human rights abuses recognised by many national governments and by the UN; Secretary General Kofi Annan has criticised the regimes human rights record on over thirty occasions and Tony Blair met a delegation from Burma Campaign UK on democracy leader Aung Sung Suu Kyi’s 60th birthday. Major multinational investors,
including BAT and Heineken, have also expressed their disgust at the countries human righ ts abuses, both companies withdrew investments worth tens of millions in response to protests from human rights groups. British businessman Philip Green was prepared to openly criticise the regime first ceasing investments from his arcadia group,
“…We do support a stand against Burma, as you know, through our action to cease sourcing from there” [1]
and then from his other company, BHS,
“Having reviewed the BHS supply chain, I can confirm that there were historical ties with a supplier in Burma. This link is now terminated and there will be no further business conducted within Burma.” [2]
Even companies criticized for their own human rights record have been appalled by the atrocities in Burma, in 2000 Adidas stated:
“Adidas-Salomon is very concerned about the human rights record of the military regime in Burma/Myanmar. Consequently we stopped sourcing products from there in 1999…none of our products have been made there since”. [3]
Since November 2003 Paulo Sergio Pinherio the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma has been denied access to the country by the regime, a sign that the generals themselves, as well as the rest of the world, recognize that Burma suffers under quite possibly the worst human rights abuses on the planet.

Oppressions-Burma is renowned for the oppression of basic freedoms; all of which the Burmese people, except those at the highest level of government, are deprived of. Freedom of speech, a basic human right, is non-existent; with severe penalties for anybody criticizing the regime or its policies. Perhaps the most obvious example of this, along with the regimes oppression of three politics, is the detention of Aung Sung Suu Kyi-the leader of the main opposition party; the National League for Democracy. After the NLD won 80% of the vote in 1990 at the countries only election since the military takeover, Suu Kyi was imprisoned by the regime. She remains under house arrest unable to talk to her supporters or become involved in the politics of the country she, by rights, should lead. Furthermore NLD deputy U Tin Oo and other NLD officials have been sentenced at closed trials and remain detained in order to prevent organized freedom of speech against the regime. [4] In 2003 when the regime believed Suu Kyi’s publicity would have declined she was released but after hundreds of thousands of Burmese in favor of democracy followed her at speeches around the country the regime attacked her supporters killing at least three hundred and once more arresting Suu Kyi. On October 24th amid outcry from around the world Suu Kyi reached ten cumulative years in captivity as a result of political speeches, peacefully rallies and tremendous support.
Brutal as the 2003 arrest of Suu Kyi was, however, the military regimes most barbaric oppression of freedom of speech is the notorious 8888 massacre in Rangoon. On August 8th 1888 the first general strike held under military rule occurred and hundreds of thousands of workers and monks, led by students marched into Rangoon to demand democracy. In response the military attacked the peaceful protest and murdered over 3000 protesters, an atrocity worse than that of Tiananmen Square the following year. Aye Chang Naing, a student at the time described the massacre,
“I still vividly remember the sound of gun fire, people shouting for help, smoke from the crematorium chimney and the swearing of evil men during the summer of 1988 that claimed the lives of thousands of peaceful demonstrators…. Around 100 students were beaten to death or drowned in the lake that afternoon. I felt great pain and anger.” This demonstrates the total absence of any freedom of speech under a regime that will go to any lengths to prevent it.
[1] Burma Campaign UK
[3] Burma Campaign UK
[2] Burma Campaign UK
[4] Metta (Burmese human rights and democracy magazine)

What Total are responsible for (re-written)

2006-03-28T17:27:00.000Z

Totalitarian Oil 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 on their pipeline (Total recently came to an out-of-court settlement with 6 villagers who had Total in court for using them as slaves)

Employing Burmese soldiers (including child soldiers) to guard their pipeline and not investigating or pressing for investigations into 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

This is the result of the genocide directly funded by Total Oil

Please visit the Burma Campaign UK (we are not associated to or endorsed by BCUK)

What can You do?

2006-03-27T13:37:00.000Z

So what can you do about Total and their human rights abuses in Burma?

A LOT!!

1. Support the boycott-hit Total where it hurts-in the pocket! Don't fund opression, rape, genocide and torture in Burma; don't fill up at Total! Your money will just be going straight into the pockets of the Burmese regime.

2. Spread the word-tell your friends, family, classmates and workmates about Total's human rights abuses in Burma; point them in the direction of this site and most importantly of all tell them to support the boycott. Organise a protest outside your local Total station to spread the word to drivers.

3. E-mail Total-tell Total directly what you think of their actions and urge them to pull out of Burma here. This works-it's what got major investors such as BAT and Lauda Air to pull out of Burma and stop funding the human rights abuses.

Total Oil-what are they doing?

2006-03-26T20:27:00.000Z

Total have a pipeline running through Burma are responsible for some of the worst human rights abuses in the world:

Financially: Total gives the Burmese regime $750 million per year. The regime have taken power by force and imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi-the democratically elected leader of the country in prison. The regime spend 50% of it's annual income on military to continue it's genocide of ethnic minorities and oppression of the Burmese people and spend just 2% on healthcare. The regime uses rape, torture, amputation, public execution and child slaves to keep control over the country.......all funded by people filling up at Total petrol stations.

Practically: If funding it isn't bad enough Total are directly responsible for human rights abuses. They employ Burmese soldiers to guard their pipeline-these soldier have looted homes and gang raped women and girls as young as 14 in the area surrounding the line. Total have done nothing about this and continue to maintain heir pipeline using slave Labour-including political prisoners who will be shot if they try to escape.

Politically: On a political level Total is the soul reason that the EU haven't intervened in Burma. The most brutal regime in the world with the highest number of human rights abuses a child soldiers is left free of sanctions or action. Why? Because for the EU to do anything every member country must agree. France make billions of dollars out of Total each year and so has vetoed every EU proposal for action. No EU country has yet had the guts to impose sanctions without EU backing.

DON'T FILL UP AT TOTAL