PSPD in English Int. Solidarity 2005-10-14   805

[Press Conference] Shwe Gas Project in Burma

Daewoo International and Korea Gas Corporation
should protect Human Rights, Labor Rights and the Environment
when developing Natural Gas projects in Burma

– October 14, 2005, International Day of Action against the Shwe Gas Project in Burma

Press conference and protest
Date & Time: 11:00 AM. 14th.(Friday) October 2005
Place: In front of Daewoo International, Daewoo Building,
(opposite Seoul Train Station)

Brief background

In January 2004, with the approval of the Burmese government, a consortium of South Korean and Indian companies announced plans to develop a massive natural gas field in the Gulf of Bengal, off the coast of western Burma. This new project is known as Shwe, which in Burmese language means “gold”.

The construction of the Shwe gas pipeline will involve a legion of severe human rights abuses, including forced labor, land confiscation, and forced and uncompensated relocation of entire communities living along the proposed overland pipeline route, as well as violence such as rape, torture and murder as troops move in to secure the area for the development.

Previous experience with natural gas developments in Burma have resulted in the famous case of Doe v UNOCAL in the US courts. 14 plaintiffs who suffered torture, forced labour, murder, and rape successfully settled this landmark dispute in an out of court settlement. The same patterns of foreign investment, militarization and human rights abuses are happening again today through Korean companies joint venture with the Burmese military regime.

[Joint Statement in Korea – Global day of Action urging respect of human rights and labor rights on gas development in Burma by Daewoo International and KOGAS ]

The Korean corporations and the government should respect human rights, labor rights and environment in Shwe gas development project in Burma
urging establishment of measures from Daewoo International and KOGAS and the involvement of the Korean government

Today, We gathered here out of concern about potential violations of human rights and labor rights as well as encroachment of environment in Burma due to gas development project by Daewoo International and KOGAS(Korea Gas Corporation) and to urge them to establish measures and comply with the international standards. Also many people are acting for one goal in front of Korean embassies or Daewoo International offices in many places of the world such as Bangladesh, East Timor, England, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and USA and we are urging the Korean government to take our action seriously.

We are very well aware of the fact that the Burmese military government that came into power by military coup are, even today, committing heinous human rights violations such as detention, closing of schools, forced labor, oppression of ethnic minorities. The international Society and Burmese democratic strength represented by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize has been continuously warning that foreign corporations have to have close ties with the Burmese military government to make investment in Burma and profits the Burmese military government makes by developing its natural resources are being used to purchase weapons to maintain the military regime and none of them are being used for its people, one of the poorest in the world.

The forced labor by the Burmese regime is very serious to the point where the international community has been paying close attention to it. In 2000, the ILO, for the first time in its history of 82 years, adopted a resolution against forced labor and advised unions, corporations and governments of its member states to reconsider their relations with Burma and several international organizations to promptly terminate any actions that directly or indirectly promote forced labor. Currently, the Arakan state located close to Shwe gas development site and expected to be most heavily affected by the pipeline construction is the area where the problem of forced labor is most serious to the extent that it has been designated as a priority area in need of termination of forced labor by ILO in 2003.

We remember the fact that Yadana, a region in the south coast of Burma, gas development project involving an US company, UNOCAL and a French company, TOTAL in the early 1990s caused severe forced labor, land confiscation, forced relocation, looting, torture and rape of the local people and encroachment of environment such as deforestation by the Burmese military government. Furthermore, we believe the Korean corporations and the government are very well aware of UNOCAL’s settlement in the form of large compensation with victims in 2005.

Even in the initial stage of gas development project of Daewoo International and KOGAS in Burma, from international human rights organizations and Arakan area, we are already hearing news about cases of human rights violations related to Shwe gas development such as beating of fisherman and confiscation of his boat for entering a gas development site, a dramatic increase of Burmese military troops in Arakan, forced labor and rape by Burmes soldiers, prohibiting local fishermen to fish in the vicinity of the gas development site. After hearing these news we have determined not to keep silence anymore.

The Korean corporations and the government should not lay their responsibility on the Burmese military government while pursuing economic benefits. Before it is too late, they should cautiously reconsider whether their investment in Burma incites the Burmese military government to violate human rights and worsen the lives of Burmese people. And when investing in a country under an unusual circumstance like Burma, international standards such as OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises should be strictly complied.
We believe that violations of human rights and labor rights and encroachment of environment should not be allowed for any reasons. The Korean government should fulfill its responsibilities and duties in public projects financed by taxes paid by the Korean citizens and not to degrade its national image as a member of international community. We hope that the Korean corporations do their best to protect human rights and labor rights which are the core of corporation’s social responsibility. We demand the following to the Korean government, Daewoo International and KOGAS.

1. Daewoo International and KOGAS should immediately establish principles and measures to prevent violations of human rights and labor rights and encroachment of environment which will occur obviously and severely due to Shwe gas development in Burma.

2. As a member country of ILO, the Korean government should reconsider its relations with the Burmese military government as advised by ILO and take all the appropriate actions to prevent the gas development from accompanying anti-human rights and anti-environment effects.

3. The Korean government and Daewoo International/KOGAS should release all the relevant information about their gas development in Burma, respect the opinions of local people in the affected area and comply with the principles and standards of the international society.

October 14, 2005

CAN(Citizens’ Action Network)
DLP(Democratic Labor Party)
MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
FKTU(Federations of Korean Trade Unions)
KCTU(Korean Confederation of Trade Union)
KHIS(Korean House for International Solidarity)
Labor Human Rights Center
Nawauri
PSPD(People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy)
The Refuge Pnan

International Solidarity Committee



statement-Korea-Oct2005-.doc

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