PSPD in English Int. Solidarity 2005-12-20   1234

[joint statement] Total of France agreed to compensate for victims of Burma project as Unocal of USA did

– For Korean companies pushing ahead with the Burma gas development project, measures to protect human rights needed

While claims from Korean civil organizations and the international society concerning human rights of Burmese people through Burma gas pipeline project by Korean companies, a noteworthy compensation agreement for the victims of the project has been reached.

November 29, a French oil company, Total announced its compensation plan (5.2 million Euro, 3.5 million pounds and 6.1 million dollars) for Burmese people who claimed to be used as forced labor in the process of Total’s involvement in a Burma gas pipeline project. This compensation came about after 8 villagers who lived in the vicinity of the Burma Yadana pipeline made a lawsuit against Total at the French court in 2002 claiming that they were used as forced labor during the pipeline project. Before Total agreed to pay the compensation, it already paid 1.2 million dollars as humanitarian support to 45,000 villagers who were forced to provide labor force during the construction of pipeline .

This is the second time where a multi-national company involved in Burma gas pipeline project was brought to a trial and agreed to pay compensation for the victims of human rights abuse. The first agreement case came early this year when Unocal of USA agreed to pay thousands of dollars for violation of human rights against people in the vicinity of gas pipeline construction site. For 8 years of Unocal’s case in the US court, Unocal received criticism for its alleged involvement in serious and broad human rights abuse such as forced labor, rape and murder of the Burmese military regime against local people. In other words, even if Unocal did not directly abused the human rights of Burmese people, it had to stand in front of a court due to its involvement in atrocities committed by its business partner, the Burmese military regime. Total also stood in front of a court for the same reason.

The two agreement cases involving Unocal and Total suggest a lot to Korea. Currently in the Arakan state, Burma, a gas development project by a consortium with Daewoo International (A-1, 60% of the total share) and KOGAS (10% of the total share) in the center, is being underway. Considering current human rights situations in Burma and precedents of Total and Unocal, if Korean companies’ involvement in gas project in Burma continues without any measures to protect human rights, it is probable that violation of human rights involving Korean companies will occur. Due to our concern for possible violation of human rights, last October, protests against Korean companies’ involvement in the Burma gas pipeline project were held in 13 countries.

Therefore, the precedents of Unocal and Total symbolically show that Korean companies pushing ahead with their gas project in Burma can not ignore the voices of respect for human rights and of the international society. And if Korean companies ignore their responsibilities to protect human rights while shifting their responsibilities on to the Burmese military regime, they will face severe criticism from the international society and have to pay a large amount of money as compensation. In light of Total’s compensation agreement, as a member of the international society, the Korean government should fulfill its responsibilities and duties to ensure that violation of human rights by Korean companies does not happen. Especially as a member of ILO, the Korean government “should reconsider its relations with Burma and take appropriate actions to prevent continuation and expansion of forced labor” as ILO advised. Furthermore, Daewoo International and KOGAS should do their best to fulfill the key of corporate social responsibilities, protecting human and labor rights and establish concrete measures to protect human rights in the process of Burma gas development project.

December 20, 2005

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

International Solidarity Committee



Korcomment-20Dec2005.doc

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