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Danish Burma Committee launches boy
- Subject: Danish Burma Committee launches boy
- From: nin@xxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 10:56:00
Subject: Danish Burma Committee launches boycott campaign
***Danish Burma Committee launches boycott campaign***
------------------------------------------------
By Christopher Follett
COPENHAGEN, Aug 16 (Reuter) - The Danish Burma Committee
stepped up its offensive against Rangoon's military rulers on
Friday, announcing the launch of a campaign to boycott companies
trading with the country.
Its main targets were France's Total oil group and
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS).
'The campaign urges companies to withdraw from business in
Burma and calls on customers to act against the companies that
continue business in the country,' committee chairman Anton
Johannsen said in a statement.
'This call is a signal to the leaders of SLORC (Burma's
State Law and Order Restoration Council). Millions of people all
over the world see (in Burma) the brutal abuse of even the most
fundamental human rights,' he said.
The committee threatened action against SAS if it did not
stop purchasing aviation fuel from Total.
It said it planned to issue protest postcards to be sent by
consumers to SAS and that if the airline failed to react the
committee would call for a consumer boycott of the carrier.
Total is involved in the largest foreign investment project
in Burma, a $1.2 billion gas pipeline joint venture with Burma's
state-owned Myanmar Oil & Gas Enterprise, Thailand's PTT and
U.S. Unocal Corp.
The committee became prominent on a wave of public outrage
over the June death in a Rangoon jail of honorary Danish consul
James Nichols. It says it has never before received so many
donations and membership enquiries.
Within the European Union, Denmark has been the main driving
force for sanctions against Burma following Nichols' death.
Total and Unocal are the targets of international activist
groups protesting at the Burmese military government's human
rights record and its crackdown on democracy campaigners.
The Danish importer of Total and Peugeot cars cancelled a
sales campaign for the brand last month and says he has changed
the Total oil in newly imported Peugeots to another product.
The importer says he has also asked Peugeot to fill its cars
bound for Denmark with another make of motor oil.
Denmark's Carlsberg brewery last month dropped plans for a
Burmese joint venture and halted all beer exports to Burma
following threats of a boycott and industrial action from the
committee.
Carlsberg's move was followed by Dutch brewer Heineken,
which ended all its operations in Burma.
Industry sources say that the committee's success with
Carlsberg could be linked to chairman Anton Johannsen's position
as a leader of the brewery workers' union and it has fared less
well with other sectors.
Earlier this month Danish wholesale and shipping group East
Asiatic dismissed calls by the committee to withdraw from all
its activities in Burma as did toymaker Lego.
Burmese democracy campaigner and Nobel prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi called last month in a smuggled video for international
sanctions to be imposed on Burma to force political change.
REUTER
1438 160896 GMT
***Singapore/United Engineers/Burma -2: Using Own Funds***
----------------------------------------------------
SINGAPORE (AP-Dow Jones)--Singapore industrial and property group United
Engineers Ltd. (UEL) said late Friday it will take a 20% stake in a joint
venture to set up a medical center in Burma.
The joint-venture company, Pacific Medical Systems Ltd. Ltd. (PMS) will
have an authorized capital of $2 million (Singapore) and an initial
aid-up capital of S$1.4 million, said UEL.
The other shareholders in PMS are Singapore's Myanmar Growth Fund Ltd.
with 35%, HCS Hospital Management International Pte. Ltd. and Orchard
Dental Centre Pte. Ltd.
UEL said it expects the venture to contribute to its future earnings,
although it wouldn't have any impact on its earnings in 1996.
UEL said it will finance its investment in the project with
internal funds.
(END) AP-DOW JONES NEWS 16-08-96
1017GMT