The debate (political, social and economic) on investment in Burma
See also Activism and Campaigns and Sanctions
Websites/Multiple Documents
| Title: | | Invest Myanmar: Tapping a New Asian Tiger |
| Date of publication: | | September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Final frontier - The rise and rise of Myanmar. "After more than 50 years of stagnation Myanmar is finally opening its doors to investment
from the outside world. As well as sitting between the regional heavyweights of China
and India, Myanmar offers incredible investment opportunities in energy, mining,
infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and so much more that led the International
Monetary Fund to brand the country as Asia’s “final frontier”.
Read inside for your guide to investing in Myanmar..."....."Farmers can
benefit with
good policies" - Myo Lwin and Victoria Bruce..."Beckoning investments in agriculture": Australian Professor, Michael Montesano, shares his thoughts with Myo Lwin, editor for special
publications of The Myanmar Times on how the agriculture sector can be improved..."Opportunities on the horizon for telecoms companies - Government moves to fast-track development of Myanmar's telecom's industry into the 21st Century is (sic) peaking foreign interest. With a large untapped market, huge infrastructure challenges, and opportunities for joint ventures touted, the future looks bright for Myanmar telecoms." ..."Myanmar’s ICT industry is in the forefront of discussions as the country needs to embrace technology to integrate into the global economy"..."Myanmar opens up to
new investments" - Aye Thidar Kyaw..."Investment in
tourism looks
set to reach new
heights" - Zaw Win Than..."Crisis management key to good investment" - Aye Sapay Phyu..."Laws hold back rush of interest in mining sector":
"Lacking in business
transparency, Myanmar’s mining
sector remains beyond the
scope for many, but intrepid
investors are showing interest" - "Everything seems negotiable – but no one’s going to sign
that kind of deal, its just not profitable" Victoria Bruce...“If they doubt, it will be too late”
In an interview with retired director general of the Ministry of Energy, U Soe Myint, The Myanmar
Times enquired about the prospects of foreign investment in the country’s oil and gas sector". Myo Lwin and
Naw Say Phaw Wa..."Myanmar’s
small business
not ready for
competition" Victoria Bruce..."Easing of sanctions offers mixed
encouragement for investors" Victoria Bruce..."What happens
after sanctions?" Tim Harcourt..."Growth slows in Chinese
overseas investments"..."Investors choice of local partner crucial - While foreign investors desperately want to come here,
it’s not attractive right now" .
Victoria Bruce..."Banking sector comes under spotlight" Victoria Bruce..."South Korea: an investment partner" - In an exclusive commentary for The
Myanmar Times by the South Korean
ambassador to Myanmar, Mr Kim
Hae-yong shares his views on the
potential of foreign investment for the
country’s development and where
South Korea can help" Kim Hae-yong... "Information
proves the
latest hot
commodity" Victoria Bruce..."Moves to limit FDI in
certain sectors ’retrograde’" Victoria Bruce..."Information is
key for 'enormous
opportunities" Ben White..."Land prices hold back
property investment" Victoria Bruce..."Local entrepreneurs welcome
FDI, slam government bias" Htar Htar Khin...“Local businesses need to be smart and clever” |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Myanmar Times" |
| Format/size: | | pdf (3.3MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 11 September 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Burma Day 2005 - Selected Documents |
| Description/subject: | | Burma Day 2005 - Selected Documents...
Supporting Burma/Myanmar’s National Reconciliation Process - Challenges and Opportunities... Brussels, Tuesday 5th April 2005... Most of the papers and reports focus on the "Independent Report" written for the conference by Robert Taylor and Morten Pedersen. They range from macroeconomic critique to historical and procedural comment. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | European Commission |
| Format/size: | | html, Word |
| Date of entry/update: | | 06 April 2005 |
|
| Title: | | Business and Human Rights, a resource website: Burma (Myanmar) |
| Description/subject: | | A rich seam of news items, articles and long reports on Burma from 1996. Go to the Home page for more general material. "information from: · United Nations & ILO · companies · human rights, development, labour & environmental organisations · governments · academics · See the section on the UNOCAL case in "Lawsuits against
companies: Selected major cases",
journalists · etc..." |
| Author/creator: | | Chris Avery |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Business and Human Rights |
| Format/size: | | html, pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | Business and Human Rights: a resource website |
| Description/subject: | | Frequently-updated links to news items, guidelines, reports, articles, United Nations and ILO documents, company policies, lawsuits against companies, other websites. Plus 56 hits for Burma OR Myanmar (September 2001). Very rich and useful source. Recommended. Sectors: Agriculture
Aircraft/Airline
Apparel industry: General
Clothing & textile
Footwear
Arms/Weapons
Asbestos
Auditing, consulting & accounting
Auto rental
Automobile & other motor vehicles
Baby food & baby milk
Battery
Bicycle
Biotechnology
Carpet & rug
Ceramics
Chemical
Chocolate
Cleaning products
Clothing & textile
Coffee
Construction & building
equipment/materials
Cookware
Cosmetics
Diamond
Diversified/Conglomerates
Dye
Electrical appliance
Energy & electricity
Express delivery
Fabric & yarn
Fertiliser
Finance & banking
Fire extinguisher
Fireworks
Fishing
Food & beverage
Footwear
Furniture
Garden supply
Glass
Health care
Hotel
Industrial gases
Insurance
Jewelry
Law firms
Logging & lumber
Machine tools
Manufacturing
Media
Medical equipment
Metals & steel
Military/defence
Mining
Oil, gas & coal
Packaging
Paint
Paper
Pesticide
Pharmaceutical
Photographic
Plastics
Printing
Publishing
Railroad
Real estate
Refrigerator & refrigerant
Restaurants
Retail
Rubber
Shipping, ship-building &
ship-scrapping
Slaughterhouses
Sporting goods
Stone quarries
Sugar
Supermarkets
Tanneries
Tea
Technology,
telecommunications &
electronics
Tobacco
Tourism
Toy
Trucking
Waste disposal
Water. See also the section on the UNOCAL case in "Lawsuits against companies: Selected major cases". Good section on tourism. |
| Author/creator: | | Chris Avery |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Business and Human Rights |
| Format/size: | | html, pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | EarthRights International: Burma Project |
| Description/subject: | | "EarthRights International's Burma Project collects vital on-the-ground information about the human rights and environmental situation in Burma. Since 1995, ERI has worked in Burma to monitor the impacts of the military regime's policies and activities on local populations and ecosystems. ERI's staff has gathered a vast body of valuable, rare information about the state of the military regime's war on its peoples and its environment. Through gathering testimonies, grassroots organizing, and distributing information through campaign work, the Burma Project has made a significant contribution to human rights and environment protection in Burma. Where possible, we link our grassroots fact-finding missions and community organizing with regional and international level advocacy and campaigning.
We work alongside affected community groups to prevent human rights and environmental abuses associated with large-scale development projects in Burma. Currently, the Burma Project focuses on large-scale dams, oil and gas development, and mining. We share experiences and resources with local communities, as well as provide assistance relevant to community needs. Over the past 10 years the Burma Project has raised awareness about the alarming depletion of resources in Burma and their relationship to a vast array of human rights abuses, as well as the local, national, and regional implications of these practices."...Sections on Dams, Mining, Oil & Gas and Other Areas of Work. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | EarthRights International |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.earthrights.org
http://www.earthrights.org/taxonomy/term/148 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 20 August 2010 |
|
| Title: | | Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility |
| Description/subject: | | Interfaith investment funds, Shareholder action, corporate responsibility, corporate accountability, selective purchasing, sanctions, business in Burma, divstment, companies, corporations, Halliburton, Unocal, Total, MOGE etc... search for Burma, Unocal etc. |
| Language: | | English |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns |
| Description/subject: | | Search for Burma. "Corporate accountability and environmental awareness: We
monitor U.S.-based corporations in Asian countries where human
rights abuses have been well-documented, such as Burma, and
where continued manufacturing will escalate environmental
destruction, such as Thailand and Indonesia. The treasury
departments of the Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers, the Maryknoll
Sisters and the Maryknoll Mission Association of the Faithful also
closely follow corporate responsibility issues." Shareholder action, boycotts etc. Good links page to other corporate responsibility sites. |
| Language: | | English |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | Trillium Asset Management |
| Description/subject: | | Socially responsible investment, selective purchasing, shareholder action, corporate withdrawal, disinvestment etc. |
| Language: | | English |
| Format/size: | | Search for Burma |
| Date of entry/update: | | 20 August 2010 |
|
| Title: | | USA Engage - results of a search for "burma" |
| Description/subject: | | "...USA*ENGAGE brings together Americans from all regions, sectors and segments of our society to speak out for a more effective foreign policy. Even though a large number of American companies, farmers, and workers are hurt by sanctions that take away US export markets and undermine our international competitiveness, Congress and the Administration cannot hear from only activists promoting a narrow sanctions agenda. A large coalition provides the voice to ensure that American policy-makers listen to all interested parties, including those who oppose sanctions..." |
| Language: | | html |
| Source/publisher: | | USA Engage |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.usaengage.org/ |
| Date of entry/update: | | 08 February 2005 |
|
Individual Documents
| Title: | | Joint Comment on the Reporting Requirements on Responsible Investment in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | 04 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "After submitting a detailed comment [MAIN URL] to the US Department of State expressing concern over weak reporting requirements for US companies considering investing in Burma, EarthRights International, Freedom House, Physicians for Human Rights, U.S. Campaign for Burma and United to End Genocide issued the following statement:
“We continue to be deeply concerned by the US government’s decision to lift all remaining sanctions, and allow corporations unrestricted investment access to Burma despite widespread corruption, ongoing human rights violations and a total lack of rule of law. Although US companies will be required to report on their investments, the current requirements lack specificity about enforcement and consequences for non-compliance. Furthermore, existing loopholes enable companies to designate information as ‘confidential’ as a way to avoid public scrutiny. The US government should take immediate steps to ensure that there is a strong regulatory framework that can effectively promote accountability and transparency..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) et al |
| Format/size: | | pdf (135K; html) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/press/press-releases/deplorable-weak-reporting-requirements-for... |
| Date of entry/update: | | 07 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Invest Myanmar: Tapping a New Asian Tiger (Burmese) |
| Date of publication: | | September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | ေနာက္ဆံုးမ်က္ႏွာစာ... တဆင့္ၿပီး တဆင့္တိုးတက္လာေသာ ျမန္မာ... ရင္းႏွီး ျမႇပ္ႏွံလိုသူေတြ အေနနဲ႔ ဒြိဟျဖစ္ၿပီး ေစာင့္ေန ရင္ ေနာက္က် မွာပဲ... ျမန္မာေဆာက္လုပ္ေရး ေလာကအတြက္ ေကာင္းဖို႔လား၊ ဆိုးဖို႔လား (ႏိုင္ငံျခားသား လုပ္ငန္းရွင္ေတြ နည္းတူ ျပည္တြင္း လုပ္ငန္းရွင္ေတြ ကိုလည္း အခြန္ကင္းလြတ္ခြင့္ တန္းတူ ေပးဖို႔ ေဆာက္လုပ္ေရးေလာက က အလုိရွိေနၾကပါတယ္)... ပြင့္လင္းျမင္သာမႈ နဲ႔ ႏုိင္ငံေရးတည္ၿငိမ္ မႈ ေမွ်ာ္လင့္လွ်က္ရွိ... ႏိုင္ငံတကာေလေၾကာင္း လိုင္းေတြ ျပည္တြင္းျပည္ပ ခရီးစဥ္ သစ္ေတြ စီစဥ္ေန... ရင္းႏွီးျမႇပ္ႏွံသူနည္းစရာ အေၾကာင္းေတာ့ မရွိပါဘူး... ႏိုင္ငံျခား ရင္းႏွီးျမႇပ္ႏွံသူေတြ ေစာင့္ၾကည့္နည္းပဲ က်င့္သံုးေနၾကဆဲ... ေတာင္ကိုရီးယားဖြ႔ံၿဖိဳးမႈမ်ားကို ဆန္းစစ္ၾကည့္ရာ၀ယ္... ျမန္မာ အက္စ္အမ္အီးေတြ ႏိုင္ငံျခား ကုမၸဏီေတြနဲ႔ တန္းတူ အခြင့္အေရး ရလို... ျမန္မာ့စီးပြားေရး ဖြံၿဖိဳးတိုးတက္ေစႏိုင္မယ့္ ေတာင္ကိုရီးယားရင္းႏွီးျမႇပ္ႏွံမႈ... ျပည္တြင္း ဆက္သြယ္ေရးကုမၸဏီ သံုးခု ျပည္ပ ကုမၸဏီမ်ားနဲ႔ ဖက္စပ္လုပ္ကိုင္မယ္... ရင္းႏွီးျမႇပ္ႏွံမႈ မစတင္မီ ေစ်းကြက္ သုေတသန လုပ္ဖို႔ အလြန္အေရးပါ... ဘဏ္လုပ္ငန္း ပိုၿပီးအာရံုစိုက္ျပဳျပင္ဖို႔ လိုအပ္လာ... စီးပြားေရးနာလံ ထူႏိုင္ဖို႔ လမ္းသစ္ကို သြားေနတဲ့ ေျခလွမ္းတခ်ဳိ႔ ... ေျမေစ်း က ႏိုင္ငံျခား ရင္းႏွီးျမႇပ္ႏွံမႈကို ဟန္႔တားေန... သဘာ၀ ကပ္ေဘးဆိုင္ရာ စီမံခန္႔ခြဲမႈ ေကာင္းေတြလည္း လုိအပ္... အထူးစီးပြားေရးဇုန္ စီမံကိန္း ျမန္ျမန္အေကာင္ အထည္ေဖာ္ရန္တိုက္တြန္း... ပိတ္ဆို႔မႈေတြဟာ စီးပြားေရး အတြက္ အေႏွာင့္အယွက္ |
| Language: | | Burmese/ ျမန္မာဘာသာ |
| Source/publisher: | | "Myanmar Times" |
| Format/size: | | pdf (2.53MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 15 September 2012 |
|
| Title: | | What Myanmar Can Learn on FDI from Other East Asian Countries: Positive and Negative Effects of FDI |
| Date of publication: | | September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar has announced a series of political and economic reforms since Mr. Thein Sein became the first president in March 2011. More than a few companies which had hesitated to invest in Myanmar from the EU, the United States, Japan and ASEAN have now started to seek a way to invest in the country effectively with minimal risk. Many other companies, however, have not changed their “wait and see” attitude without making a decision to invest in Myanmar. Nevertheless, for the Myanmar government, it is necessary to make adequate preparations for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) irrespective of the realization of an investment boom in the country. Here, in order to give input to the government and business community of Myanmar, we would like to consider the positive and negative effects of FDI in accordance with the experiences of other East Asian countries..." ...The Burmese version was publised in the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commers & Industry, Vol.16 No.11, November 2012. |
| Author/creator: | | Masami ISHIDA |
| Language: | | English, Burmese/ ျမန္မာဘာသာ |
| Source/publisher: | | IDE-JETRO Policy Review on Myanmar Economy No. 6 |
| Format/size: | | pdf (English-75K; Burmese-912K-OBL version,1.3MB-original) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs14/IDE-Myanmar06bu-red.pdf
http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Download/Brc/PolicyReview/pdf/06_Burmese.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 December 2012 |
|
| Title: | | US/Burma: Don’t Lift Sanctions Too Soon Safeguards Needed Before Allowing Investment, Financial Services |
| Date of publication: | | 15 May 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The US government should not ease sanctions on business activities in Burma until adequate safeguards are in place to prevent new investment from fueling human rights abuses. A US presidential order imposing a ban on investment and financial services in Burma is scheduled to expire on May 20, 2012, unless it is renewed or revised.
In early April, in response to Burmese government pledges of reform and electoral gains by Burma’s main opposition party, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the US government was prepared to relax certain business-related sanctions. A new presidential order easing business restrictions is expected to be issued soon.
“The US government should not reward the Burmese government’s nascent and untested changes by allowing an unregulated business bonanza,” said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Tough rules are needed to ensure that new investments benefit the people of Burma and don’t fuel human rights abuses and corruption, or end up strengthening the military’s control over civilian authorities.”..." |
| Language: | | Engish |
| Source/publisher: | | Human Rights Watch |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 16 May 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar rush risks undermining progress |
| Date of publication: | | 05 May 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "As governments continue to discuss how to ease sanctions in Myanmar, fears are increasing that a sudden massive influx of foreign investment could be detrimental to the delicate ongoing transition.
"I see a rush of over-investment, to the extent that things that can be done to slow down investment may be in the long-term interest of the country," Lex Rieffel, an economist and Southeast Asia expert with the Brookings Institution, said on Thursday at the Council on Foreign Relations, in Washington.
'I can assure you that even if we keep sanctions in place, there is going to be plenty of investment in this country. But what we will probably see is underinvestment in people - the government is currently meeting with every Tom, Dick and Harry, but there is no
time being set aside for important decision-making or implementation.'..." |
| Author/creator: | | Carey L Biron |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asia Times Onlie |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 06 May 2012 |
|
| Title: | | The Lady and the generals meet half-way |
| Date of publication: | | 06 April 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Myanmar's highly anticipated by-elections, held on April 1 for some 45 parliamentary seats, has borne its first diplomatic fruit. The United States announced a relaxation of certain economic sanctions and movement on the resumption of full diplomatic relations with Naypyidaw in reward for the country's recent democratic progress.
However, the opposition National League for Democracy's landslide victory of 43 out of the 45 seats may be somewhat overstated and questions remain about the sincerity of President Thein Sein's government's commitment to sustainable reform..." |
| Author/creator: | | Brian McCartan |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asia Times Online |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 11 April 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Not open for business: Despite elections, investor risk remains high in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | April 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...Burma has vast oil, gas, hydropower and mineral
potential, located mainly in the ethnic minority
regions which continue to be areas of conflict. Keen
on tapping these resources, the international business
community is already a forceful advocate for overturning
the sanctions regime and is actively scouting
investment prospects. In particular, major oil companies
– Chevron, Total and Exxon Mobil – are seeking to
further penetrate Burma’s market.
While international sanctions have limited investment
over the last decade, foreign direct investment
has recently increased. Foreign investment from 2010
to 2011 represents nine times the cumulative foreign
investment between 2006 and 2010, with a staggering
percentage benefiting the energy and extractive
industries.
Investors should exercise extreme caution. Burma is a
volatile area for investors, without the rule of law and
without constitutional assurances that the judiciary
will protect property or investments. Despite economic
reforms over the past year, the military continues to
dominate the Burmese economy. It controls the Union
of Myanmar Economic Holdings which manages the
gem trade and the banking and construction industries.
It also oversees the Myanmar Economic Corporation
which controls economic activities as varied as
tourism, trading companies and the sale of petroleum
and natural gas.
The recent reforms and election results provide
reasons for cautious optimism in Burma, but the transition
is tenuous and incomplete. Given the integration
of the military in all aspects of Burma and its historically
poor record of democratization and human rights
abuse, the international community must seek to use
every avenue of engagement with Burma to ensure
the establishment of accountability mechanisms to
protect human rights. Such mechanisms may be most
important of all in the resource-rich ethnic minority
regions..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Conflict Risk Network |
| Format/size: | | pdf (730K - OBL version; 849K- original) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://endgenocide.org/images/uploads/downloads/burma-not-open-for-business.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 23 April 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar lures Singapore Inc |
| Date of publication: | | 20 March 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Singapore Inc is in hot pursuit of business opportunities in Myanmar, where a recent reform drive aims to lure more foreign direct investment. A long time ally to Myanmar's former military regime, Singapore is well placed to reap first-mover advantages vis-a-vis Western countries that maintain but are slowly lifting economic sanctions against the country.
Last month, a delegation representing 74 Singapore-based companies traveled to Myanmar for networking and business matching with Myanmar counterparts in construction, education, finance, infrastructure and logistics.
Organized by the trade promotion groups Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the trip featured site visits, the signing of a memorandum of understanding to promote economic relations and trade ties, and courtesy calls on reformist President Thein Sein and many of his ministers..." |
| Author/creator: | | Megawati Wijaya |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asia Times Online |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 06 May 2012 |
|
| Title: | | BLOOD MONEY: A Grounded Theory of Corporate Citizenship -- Myanmar (Burma) as a Case in Point |
| Date of publication: | | 2009 |
| Description/subject: | | "...In this inquiry I have explored the multiple interactions between corporate,
state and civil society actors through which understandings of responsible’
corporate engagement in Myanmar are created, enacted and transformed. I have
identified and conceptualised four social processes at work in these interactions,
which I describe in the grounded theories of:
(1) Commercial Diplomacy (describing the use of enterprise as a conduit
for foreign policy by states, particularly as it relates to ethical’ business
activity)
(2) Stakeholder Activism (critiquing the aims and strategies of
transnational civil society organisations who advocate for responsible’
corporate engagement)
(3) Corporate Engagement (explaining variation in the motivations and
terms of corporate engagement, specifically different forms of divestment
or engagement, as strategic responses to stakeholder activism, commercial
diplomacy and other factors which influence the enterprise context)
(4) Constructive Corporate Engagement (a conceptual framework,
grounded in multiple stakeholder-views and drawing from the
international development discourses of state fragility and human security,
for considering the potentially constructive impacts of corporate
engagement).
Working within and between these four theories, I generated an overarching
grounded theory of (5) Corporate Citizenship in Fragile States. From these
theories I offer a critical analysis of Corporate Citizenship as the normative basis
for a new articulation between the economic, social and political spheres in
pursuit of a more equitable global order..." |
| Author/creator: | | Nicola M. Black |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Te Waananga o Waikato (The University of Waikato) |
| Format/size: | | html; pdf (3.5MB) (553 pages) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.nickyblack.com/Nicky_Black/Corporate_Citizenship_and_Myanmar.html (Chapter-by-chapter)
http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs08/BM-Complete-NBlack%202009-red.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 April 2010 |
|
| Title: | | TOTAL Oil: fuelling the oppression in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | February 2005 |
| Description/subject: | | " Burma is ruled by a military dictatorship renowned for both oppressing and impoverishing its people, while enriching itself and the foreign businesses that work with it. TOTAL Oil, the fourth largest oil company in the world, is in business with Burma’s dictatorship. It has been in Burma since 1992 against the wishes of Burma’s elected leaders, many of whom are being detained by the Junta. Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s pro-democracy leader, has said that “Total has become the main supporter of the Burmese military regime.” . She told the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur that "TOTAL knew what it was doing when it invested massively in Burma while others withdrew from the market for ethical reasons”. She added, “the company must accept the consequences. The country will not always be governed by dictators.”
The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won 82 percent of the seats in Burma’s 1990 election. It has called on foreign companies not to invest in Burma because of the role investment plays in perpetuating dictatorship in that country. All the major ethnic leaderships from Burma have whole-heartedly supported this position too. Therefore, the mandate from which companies are asked not to invest in Burma comes from within the country.
This report gathers together much of the available evidence relating to TOTAL’s role in fuelling the oppressive dictatorship in Burma. Broadly, it covers human rights abuses associated with TOTAL’s gas pipeline, TOTAL’s financing of Burma’s dictatorship and TOTAL’s influence on French foreign policy and therefore on European Burma policy as a whole. TOTAL’s presence in Burma has consequences far beyond its 63-kilometre pipeline across Burmese territory. Its destructive influence goes to the heart of international policy towards one of the world’s most brutal regimes. For that reason it is essential for all those who want change in Burma to deal with the problem of TOTAL Oil. As long as TOTAL remains in Burma, the dictatorship will be satisfied that the chances of real pressure against it are unlikely.
This report has been produced to coincide with the launch of a new international campaign calling for TOTAL’s withdrawal from Burma. The campaign comprises 43 organisations across 18 countries..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | The Burma Campaign, UK |
| Format/size: | | pdf (691K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.birmaniademocratica.org/ViewDocument.aspx?docid=90228f917e4a42a09445256a9e2459d9 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 04 July 2010 |
|
| Title: | | Doing Business with Burma - report |
| Date of publication: | | 25 January 2005 |
| Description/subject: | | What are the consequences of investment in or trade with Burma? How does it work? Who profits? Who suffers from it?...
Contents:
1. Introduction;
2. Who owns the economy?
(When you do business with Burma, who do you need to deal with?
Can a company have independent business links in Burma?)
3. Levels of FDI and trade;
4. How much of this money is going to the junta?
Another source of income: all kinds of taxes;
A possible third source of income: the exchange of foreign currency;
5. What do the generals do with this money?
6. On corruption, transparency and drugs;
7. Is there a link between FDI and politics?
8. Are there direct links between FDI and abuse of workers?
9. What is the effect of sanctions on ordinary citizens? |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) |
| Format/size: | | html, pdf (262K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/Doing_Business_in_or_with_Burma.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 07 February 2005 |
|
| Title: | | Traiter avec la Birmanie |
| Date of publication: | | 25 January 2005 |
| Description/subject: | | Quelles sont les conséquences des investissements étrangers en Birmanie et du
maintien de relations commerciales avec ce pays ? Quelles sont les règles du
jeu ? Quels en sont les bénéficiaires ? Au détriment de qui ?...
Table des matières:-
1. Introduction;
2. A qui appartient l’économie?
(Avec qui doit-on traiter lorsqu’on veut faire du commerce avec la Birmanie?
Une firme étrangère peut-elle avoir des contacts commerciaux à titre
indépendant en Birmanie?
3. Volume d’IDE (investissements directs étrangers) et flux commerciaux;
4. Quelle partie de cet argent finit-elle dans les caisses de la junte?
Autre source de revenus: les taxes en tous genres;
Troisième source de revenus: le change de devises étrangères ;
5. Que font les généraux de tout cet argent?
6. Corruption, transparence et trafic de drogue;
7. Existe-t-il un lien entre l’IDE et la politique?
8. Y a-t-il des liens directs entre IDE et abus des droits des travailleurs?
9. Quelle est l’incidence des sanctions sur les citoyens ordinaires? |
| Language: | | Francais, French |
| Source/publisher: | | Confédération internationale des syndicats libres (CISL) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (299K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 08 February 2005 |
|
| Title: | | In Our Court: ATCA, Sosa, and the Triumph of Human Rights |
| Date of publication: | | 27 July 2004 |
| Description/subject: | | Washington, D.C. – EarthRights International's new report, "In Our Court: ATCA, Sosa, and the Triumph of Human Rights," analyzes the history of the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA), its use in human rights cases over the past two decades, and the political debate between the human rights community, the business lobby, and the Bush Administration over how ATCA should be used.
"In Our Court" is the first report to trace the use of ATCA and provide a comprehensive discussion of how and why it has become an important tool for human rights advancement, and why it has come under attack by the business community and the Bush Administration. Using case studies from Burma, Nigeria, and Sudan, the report explains the need for ATCA and the link between the victims of human rights violations and the corporations that have gained from the abuse.
The U.S. Supreme Court's June 2004 decision on Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain was a victory for human rights groups such as EarthRights International and the victims they represent. The Supreme Court ruled that ATCA continues to afford non-citizens a way to sue perpetrators of egregious human rights abuses in U.S. federal courts.
Concluding with a legal analysis of the Sosa decision, "In Our Court" explores the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling for victims of human rights abuses, their defenders, corporations, and the Administration, and makes recommendations for preserving the ability of victims and survivors to seek legal redress in U.S. courts. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | EarthRights International |
| Format/size: | | html (219K), |
| Date of entry/update: | | 25 August 2004 |
|
| Title: | | Reconciling Burma/Myanmar: Essays on U.S. Relations with Burma |
| Date of publication: | | 03 March 2004 |
| Description/subject: | | Free access not available anymore! The document needs to be purchased.
Foreword:
"An intellectual “tectonic shift” is underway, making a precarious policy even harder to
justify. This rather unusual issue of the NBR Analysis does not stem from an NBR-sponsored
project or study. Instead, it emerged as an initiative from an extraordinary assemblage of
Burma scholars, all of whom regard last year’s announcement of a “road map” for constitutional
change, the ongoing progress toward cease-fires with ethnic insurgents, and the worsening
impact of sanctions on the general populace, as an opportunity to re-examine U.S. relations
with Burma. Recognizing that the current situation may be conducive to taking a fresh
perspective, and noting the significance of so many top Burma specialists reaching similar
conclusions and working together, we decided to publish their essays.
The scholars in this volume represent a range of perspectives. What is especially notable
is that they collaborated in this enterprise and concur that the U.S. policy of sanctions is not
achieving its worthy objective—progress toward constitutional change and democratization in
Burma. Moreover, as some of these authors argue, viewing U.S.-Burma relations solely through
this lens, important as it is, may be harming other U.S. strategic interests in Southeast Asia,
both in terms of the ongoing war against terrorism and long-term objectives regarding the
United States’ role as a regional security guarantor. The desperate humanitarian situation in the
country, as detailed in many of these essays, and concerns about possible WMD-related
activities only underscore the importance of looking at this issue again. U.S. policymakers in
particular ought to consider whether it is now appropriate to take a more realistic, engaged
approach, while easing restrictions on humanitarian assistance, programs to build civil society,
and the forces of globalization that are needed for the Burmese peoples’ socio-economic
progress and solid transition to civilian government and democracy..."
Richard J. Ellings,
President,
The National Bureau of Asian Research...
"Strategic Interests in Myanmar" - John H. Badgley;
"Myanmar’s Political Future: Is Waiting for the Perfect
the Enemy of Doing the Possible?" - Robert H. Taylor;
"Burma/Myanmar: A Guide for the Perplexed?" - David I. Steinberg;
"King Solomon’s Judgment" - Helen James;
"The Role of Minorities in the Transitional Process" - Seng Raw; "Will Western Sanctions Bring Down the House?" -
Kyaw Yin Hlaing; "The Crisis in Burma/Myanmar:
Foreign Aid as a Tool for Democratization" - Morten B. Pedersen; |
| Author/creator: | | John H. Badgley (Ed.); Robert H. Taylor, David I. Steinberg, Helen James, Seng Raw, Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Morten B. Pedersen |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "NBR Analysis" Vol.15, No. 1, March 2004 (The National Bureau of Asia Research) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (261K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 29 February 2004 |
|
| Title: | | The European Union and Burma: The Case for Targeted Sanctions |
| Date of publication: | | March 2004 |
| Description/subject: | | Executive Summary:
The political stalemate in Burma will not be broken until the military regime considers it to be in its own
self-interest to commence serious negotiations with the democratic and ethnic forces within the
country. This paper outlines how the international community can bring about a political and economic
situation which will foster such negotiations.
Burma is ruled by a military dictatorship renowned for both oppressing and impoverishing its people,
while enriching itself and the foreign businesses that work with it. The regime continues to ignore the
1990 electoral victory of Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy.
The regime has shown no commitment to three years of UN mediation efforts. It has failed to end the
practice of forced labour as required by its ILO treaty obligations and demanded by the International
Labour Organization. It continues to persecute Burma’s ethnic peoples. It continues to detain more
than 1,350 political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi.
Any proposal of a road map to political change in Burma will fail to bring about democracy in this
country unless it is formulated and executed in an atmosphere in which fundamental political freedoms
are respected, all relevant stakeholders are included and committed to negotiate, a time frame for
change is provided, space is provided for necessary mediation, and the restrictive and undemocratic
objectives and principles imposed by the military through the National Convention (ensuring continued
military control even in a “civilian” state) are set aside. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Burma Campaign UK |
| Format/size: | | pdf (120K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 28 March 2004 |
|
| Title: | | Wege aus der Isolation. Birmas nationaler und internationaler Aussöhnungsprozess |
| Date of publication: | | August 2003 |
| Description/subject: | | Zu Beginn der neunziger Jahre reagierten die EU und die USA auf die 1988 erfolgte Machtübernahme des Militärs in Birma und die Nichtanerkennung des 1990 errungenen Wahlsiegs der Opposition mit der öffentlichen Verurteilung dieses Regimes und einer Reihe wirtschaftlicher und politischer Sanktionen. Die ASEAN-Staaten wie auch UNO-Generalsekretär Kofi Annan setzten hingegen auf eine Strategie des »konstruktiven Engagements«, die durch einen intensiven Dialog mit der Regierung in Rangun den Weg zu politischen Reformen zu ebnen versuchte. Beide Strategien haben bislang nicht zu den beabsichtigten Ergebnissen geführt.
Ausgangspunkt dieser Studie ist daher die Frage, welche Faktoren zu jener fast unauflöslich erscheinenden Konfrontation zwischen der Militärregierung einerseits und der birmanischen Opposition sowie den westlich orientierten Staaten andererseits geführt haben und welche Strategie von außen, vor allem von der EU, entwickelt werden sollte, um eine Neugestaltung der politischen Machtverhältnisse und eine Verbesserung der mehr als desolaten Lebensverhältnisse vieler Einwohner Birmas zu erzielen.
Die Studie kommt zu dem Schluß, daß die politische und wirtschaftliche Krise Birmas nur durch einen langfristigen und umfassenden Transformationsprozeß bewältigt werden kann, in dem Veränderungen der sozioökonomischen Basis und der politischen Strukturen eng miteinander zu verknüpfen sind. Von Seiten des Auslands - nicht zuletzt der EU - kann und sollte dieser Transformationsprozeß nach Kräften und in den unterschiedlichsten Bereichen gefördert werden. Hierbei müssen positive Anreize und Druck einander nicht ausschließen, sondern es wäre im jeweiligen Einzelfall zu prüfen, ob eine Zusammenarbeit möglich und nützlich erscheint oder aber verweigert werden muß.
Ways out of isolation, Burma's national and international reconciliation process, transition and democratisation |
| Author/creator: | | Gerhard Will |
| Language: | | Deutsch, German |
| Source/publisher: | | Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik |
| Format/size: | | pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 18 July 2005 |
|
| Title: | | Corporate Engagement Project, Yadana Project Myanmar/Burma, May 2003 (2nd visit) |
| Date of publication: | | July 2003 |
| Description/subject: | | "The Corporate Engagement Project (CEP) is a collaborative effort, involving multinational
corporations that operate in areas of socio-political tensions or conflict. Its purpose is to help
corporate managers better understand the impacts of corporate activities on the contexts in which
they work. Based on site visits, CEP aims to identify and analyze the challenges for corporations
that recur across companies and across contexts. Based on the patterns that emerge, CEP
develops management tools and practical options for management practices that respond to local
challenges and address stakeholder issues.
In this context, Doug Fraser, Independent Consultant, and Luc Zandvliet, Project Director of
CEP, visited Myanmar from April 22 – May 3, 2003 to visit the Yadana pipeline project,
operated by Total, as a follow up to our first visit conducted in October 2002.
This visit was the second CEP visit to the Yadana Project in what is planned as a series of three
visits. To avoid duplication, this report should be read in combination with the first report
(available at http://www.cdainc.com/cep/cep-casestudylist.htm). Our purpose, as in all CEP field
visits, was to examine the interaction between corporate operations and surrounding
communities, as well as the impact of corporate operations on the wider context of conflict.
The CEP team intends to visit Thailand to explore allegations from several international NGOs
that people originating from the pipeline area were displaced into Thailand. If people had to
leave Myanmar/Burma recently for reasons related to the pipeline or the presence of oil
companies, this would be important for CEP to know. The trip will serve the following purposes:
! To learn additional information related to the impact of the pipeline on local civilians.
We want to address the possibility that we only hear positive stories about the pipeline
from people currently residing in the corridor, while people that were possibly forced to
leave the corridor might tell of a different reality.
! To verify why CDA’s observations in the pipeline area differ from the observations in
some of the reports produced by international NGOs about the impact of the pipeline on
the local contexts.
! To explore rumors in the business community in Thailand and Myanmar/Burma (and
among NGOs themselves) that some NGOs make a “business” of producing allegations
against companies, based on testimonies from Myanmar/Burmese refugees. This is of
concern to CEP because if CEP is unable to confirm allegations that “NGOs fabricate
“evidence,” it supports the credibility of the NGOs that make allegations or advocate on
behalf of Myanmar/Burmese refugees. On the other side, if the fabrication of evidence is
confirmed, this would support sentiments in the business community that allegations
should not be taken seriously. This undermines the ability of individuals with genuine
grievances against companies to be heard.
CONCLUSION:
The second visit to the Yadana pipeline confirmed the positive impact that the presence of the oil
companies currently has on the population within the pipeline corridor. It is also evident that
these positive impacts in the pipeline corridor will not convince outside critics about Total’s
positive contribution to the country at large. The company will continue to be criticized and
remain vulnerable to outside pressure from some stakeholders until it is better able to address
concerns on the larger socio-political context in the country. The single most important
observation revealed in this report is the need for the co-investors to develop a vision of the role
they want to play in Myanmar/Burma and the strategy they will use to achieve this.
With a clear vision and strategy, efforts to achieve this outcome can be focused, and new
working partnerships can be built and nurtured. Within these, creative solutions to the challenges
of working in Myanmar can be formulated." |
| Author/creator: | | Luc Zandvliet and Doug Fraser |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Collaborative for Development Action |
| Format/size: | | pdf (285 KB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
|
| Title: | | Multinational Enterprises in Situations of Violent Conflict and Widespread Human Rights Abuses |
| Date of publication: | | May 2002 |
| Description/subject: | | "In response to enquiries about foreign investment in Myanmar, the Committee for International
Investment and Multinational Enterprises (CIME) asked the Secretariat to prepare a paper, under the
responsibility of the latter, that would provide background information to interested parties. This paper
was not only to shed light on business activity in Myanmar, but also to consider the broader challenges of
conducting business responsibly in countries characterised by civil strife and extensive human rights
violations. The present paper responds to this request and focuses on issues that are of particular relevance
to extractive industries. This sector?s share of global investment is quite small, but its significance for
particular host societies is large and the underlying issues for corporate responsibility affect the welfare of
millions of people. While not ignoring the problems that have arisen in connection with multinational
enterprise activity in troubled host countries, this paper also seeks to promote and highlight the positive
roles that some companies have played in the search for solutions to these countries? very complex
problems..." |
| Author/creator: | | Kathryn Gordon |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) |
| Format/size: | | PDF (186 KB) 35 pages |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
|
| Title: | | BURMA: COMPANIES, NGOs AND THE NEW DIPLOMACY |
| Date of publication: | | October 2001 |
| Description/subject: | | "Burma, also known as Myanmar, is an important
case study in wider international debates on the
politics of sanctions versus constructive engagement,
and the role of companies and NGOs in controversial states.
Since 1962 Burma has been ruled by a succession of
military and quasi-military regimes. All the main political
actors, including the armed forces, agree that it should
eventually return to some form of democratic rule. The
questions are: when and by what route? And how, if at all,
can the international community assist?
One of the most important features of the Burma
debate is the role played by non-state actors – particularly
NGOs, but also companies. A loose coalition of advocacy
groups has put pressure on Western governments to
impose sanctions on Burma, and on companies to
withdraw from the country. Petroleum companies, in
particular, have been accused of collaborating with an
illegitimate regime. But such campaigns raise further
questions: what role should advocacy groups play in
foreign policy-making? And what are the real responsibilities
of international companies in controversial states?..." |
| Author/creator: | | John Bray |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Royal Institute for International Affairs (Briefing Papers, New Series No. 24) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (68 K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.eldis.org/assets/Docs/11176.html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar Case Perpetuates False Analogies |
| Date of publication: | | 17 April 2000 |
| Description/subject: | | The case before the U.S. Supreme Court on the right of Massachusetts and several California localities to promulgate regulations on foreign trade—specifically, to impose sanctions on Myanmar, formerly Burma, for human-rights violations—is a clear test of the post-Cold War maxim to "think globally, act locally." |
| Author/creator: | | Catharin Dalpino |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Brookings Institute |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2000/0417southasia_dalpino.aspx?p=1 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
|
| Title: | | No Happy Medium for Hardliners |
| Date of publication: | | February 2000 |
| Description/subject: | | The SPDC is seeking new ways to tell the world that Burma is open for business. But it is having a hard time finding a medium that doesn't threaten to open the floodgates of political debate. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 8. No. 2 (Businss section) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises |
| Date of publication: | | 2000 |
| Description/subject: | | "The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are non-binding recommendations to enterprises, made by the thirty-three governments that adhere to them. Their aim is to help Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) operate in harmony with government policies and with societal expectations
..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) |
| Format/size: | | PDF (1.57MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | Destructive Engagement: A Decade of Foreign Investment in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | October 1999 |
| Description/subject: | | An Issue Paper of EarthRights International's Burma Project.
Since 1988, when the Burmese military regime opened up the
country to foreign investment after a generation of isolation, the
country has seen no improvement on a whole range of indicators,
such as education, health and poverty, that investment is supposed
to help improve. Instead, investment has brought a doubling in the
size of the country's army and major arms purchases that have in
turn furthered the repression. Investment has also been concentrated
in extractive industries, namely logging, gems and natural gas,
resulting in the selling off of Burma's natural resources at alarming
rates. The stream of refugees and migrants out of the country --
fleeing the human and economic devastation brought about by the
regime -- is perhaps the clearest indicator that investment and
business engagement with Burma are not working. |
| Author/creator: | | Tyler R. Giannini |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Earthrights International |
| Format/size: | | pdf (250K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | All Along the Watchtower |
| Date of publication: | | September 1998 |
| Description/subject: | | "As foreign investors flee, prices rise, and foreign reserves dwindle, many wonder how much longer Burma's military regime can hold off the rising tide of unrest...The announcement that U.S. oil giant ARCO and telecommunications powerhouse Ericsson are pulling out of Burma is one more sign that the country’s economy is both closing and collapsing. ARCO’s announcement that it was abandoning its rights to develop offshore blocks of natural gas in Burma’s Andaman Sea and Ericsson’s hasty withdrawal are only two of a number of major projects that have fallen victim to Burma’s economic collapse and political impasse. The $800 million “three-in-one” project which was to have been built by Total, Unocal and Mitsui was quietly shelved late last month. The project would have built a $300 million gas pipeline up from the Yadana pipeline to fuel a $200 million fertilizer plant and a $300 million electrical generating plant. The gas was to have come from the regime’s share of the Yadana field gas with the government and its three partners sharing construction costs..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 6, No. 5 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | The Burmese Fairy Tale |
| Date of publication: | | 19 February 1998 |
| Description/subject: | | (The writer is a pro-democracy activist and former political prisoner. She lives in Rangoon.)
"Like many Burmese, l am tired of living in a fairy tale. For years, outsiders portrayed the troubles of my country as a morality play: good against evil, with no shade of gray in between-a simplistic picture, but one the world believes. The response of the West has been equally simplistic: It wages a moral crusade against evil, using such "magic wands" as sanctions and boycotts..." |
| Author/creator: | | Ma Thanegi |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Far Eastern Economic Review (5th Column) |
| Format/size: | | html (11K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | "The Irrawaddy" Business |
| Date of publication: | | August 1997 |
| Description/subject: | | Burma row brews over US state law • UK clothing firm cuts Burmese ties • |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 5. No. 4-5 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | "The Irrawaddy" Business |
| Date of publication: | | June 1997 |
| Description/subject: | | Joint-Venture for sugar mill • Foreign cash ATMs • San Francisco bans Burmese business • Japan insurer sets foot in Burma • Divestment Movement: South Africa stle • Thailand eyes Burmese ports • Burma to join BIST-EC [to make BIMST-EC] |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 5. No. 3 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
|
| Title: | | Debate on Investing in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | February 1996 |
| Description/subject: | | Various articles, pro and con., including at the September 7, 1995, US Congressional hearing on "Recent Developments in Burma" which was called by the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the House Committee on International Relations. Excerpts from documents submitted as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Peregrine Myanmar Ltd. and Peregrine Capital Myanmar Ltd. against American businesswoman, Miriam Marshall Segal who had been doing business in Burma in one form or another for nearly two decades. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Burma Debate", Vol. III, No. 1 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
| Title: | | The Effect of Foreign Investment in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | 01 October 1995 |
| Description/subject: | | "Everyone has heard the argument that economic sanctions never work, that the best way to encourage dictators to change their policies is to give them lots of money, then ask them to change, then give them even more money if they refuse. Economic sanctions only hurt the poor, the big investors tell us, while investment dollars "trickle down" from the generals and help everyone. Not only is there no evidence anywhere to support this argument, but in the case of Burma foreign investment directly leads to suffering..."
"Even the Wall Street Journal admitted that foreign investment in Burma is wrong, stating "We have argued for commerce and investment where it strengthens civil societies vis-a-vis dictators. But these deals, by putting money directly into SLORC's pocket, only make a richer prize out of political power. The prospect of vast petrodollars gives the generals yet another reason to cling to office no matter how many bodies of their fellow citizens pile up." There is no argument for raping Burma's resources and handing money to SLORC, and it is about time investors and their governments started admitting it..." |
| Author/creator: | | Kevin Heppner (Karen Human Rights Group) |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG Articles and Papers) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
|