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Mickey Mouse in Hot Water, and Lett



Subject: Mickey Mouse in Hot Water, and Letter to the Editor from The  Nation

The Nation	October 16, 1996

Micky Mouse in Hot Water on Burma Ties
The Walt Disney Company is accused of supporting the Slorc junta.

	The company that brought the world Mickey Mouse is in trouble as far as
labour groups and pro-democracy activists are concerned over its connections
with a garment assembly plant in Burma.
	Walt Disney Company has received clothing, under a licensing agreement with
the New York firm Mamiye Brothers/American Character Classics, from the
Rangoon plant in Burma, which is partly owned by that country's repressive
military, according to the National Labour Committee (NLC), a New York
labour group.
	As a result of the Burmese junta's 45 per cent stake in the Rangoon garment
factory and an additional five per cent tax on all exports, "50 cents
(Bt12.50) of every dollar earned producing the "Mickey and Co" label at the
Rangoon factory flows back directly into the pockets of the Burmese
military," the NLC argues.
	That money goes a long way to help consolidate Burma's military junta, the
State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), added Larry Dohrs, a
coordinator in Seattle of the "Free Burma" Campaign.
	Foreign earnings
	The garment industry accounts for a substantial portion of Burma's foreign
earnings," Dohrs said, noting the US Embassy in Rangoon estimates that the
country earned some US$65.1 million (Bt1.62 billion); 80 per cent of its
total exports to the US; from garment production in 1995.
	"Disney is a big player in that field," Dohrs added, "and the government
dominates all business activity in Burma; that's just a basic fact."
	For Burmese workers, it is an extremely low-paying field. The US Embassy
estimates that many Burmese garment workers spend 60 hours a week assembling
clothes, for a wage of only six cents an hour.
	The NLC contends that, on average, Burmese workers earn only two or three
cents for making a Mickey Mouse T-shirt that sells for $17 in the US.
	In its June 1996 report on foreign economic trends, the US Embassy points
out that a large number of the garment assembly firms are at least partly
owned by either the Burmese junta or by businessmen in "the opiates sector."
	Noting the US State Department's recognition of Burma as a major source of
world heroin and opium production, Dohrs said that by involving itself in
garment production there, "Disney is in with some unsavoury company."
	But a Disney spokesman denies the charges, noting the company has no direct
involvement in Burma.
	"We have decided already not to do any business in Burma as a company,"
said the spokesman, who insisted on anonymity. The subcontracting agreement
at the Rangoon factory is "three steps removed from Disney," he argued.
	Nevertheless, he said, following reports of low pay and abuses at the
plant, Disney is beginning its own investigation of conditions there.
	A spokesman for Mamiye Brothers said the company "independently pulled out
of Burma six months ago." Even before the reports of abuses at the Rangoon
plant surfaced, he said, the New York-based firm decided not to place any
orders at the plant for its 1997 production.
	The news about Disney's link to garment assembly in Burma comes even as
students at some 60 colleges and 10 high schools fasted to protest at US
investment in Burma.
	The students fasted because "the situation is getting worse in Burma, with
mass arrests and a crackdown on the [pro-democracy] National League for
Democracy (NLD)," said Sein Win, a NLD leader now based in Washington and
the movement's choice for Burmese prime minister. 
	US firms, Sein Win added, should respond by cutting off trade with Burma,
which is heavily controlled by the ruling Slorc.
	"Until we have a system that guarantees rule of law and basic democratic
institutions, no amount of aid or investment will benefit our people," Aung
San Suu Kyi, the NLD's chief and the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, warned
in a taped message to those fasting. "Profits from business enterprises will
merely go towards enriching a small, very privileged elite."
	"It would be fitting, especially during the fast for Burma ... for Disney
to announce that it has made a grave mistake and will immediately sever all
ties to Burma until the democratic government, which has overwhelming
support, is restored to office," said NLC director Charles Kernaghan.
	The recent focus on Burma, including President Bill Clinton's restrictions
on travel to the US of most Slorc members and their families, has already
had an effect on US businesses dealing with Burma.
	Several US apparel firms, including Liz Claiborne, pulled out of Burma.
Heineken Brewery ended its contracts with Rangoon recently, explicitly
because connections to Slorc "could have an adverse effect on our brand and
corporate reputations," according to Heineken chief executive officer Karel
Vuurstein.
	Family-oriented business
Disney, because of its image as a family-oriented business, could be equally
sensitive to any links with Burma's military regime, Dohrs argued. "Disney
is such a high-profile company that it is quite possible to bring pretty
close scrutiny to them," he said.
	A campaign against Disney also could help raise awareness about companies
more closely linked to deals that allegedly benefit Slorc, including the US
petroleum firm Unocal and French firm Total SA, which have invested in a
major gas pipeline in Burma, Dohrs added.
	Sein Win believes the battle over US public opinion is already being won by
the NLD and democratic movement. "The movement is gaining support at the
city level, at the state level, and among local people," he said. 

Letter to the Editor

A Dangerous Alliance in the Making

	It is interesting to note the similarities between Indonesia under the
present government and Burma under Slorc. Historically, they share several
common denominators, often complimentary. Indonesia's independence, struggle
and all from the Dutch set the tone for the British empire to free India,
Burma and Malaysia.
	There was great support and enthusiasm for Sukarno and Merdeka. I once sat
absolutely enthralled to hear one of "Bung" Karno's oratorical deliveries
and his vision for his country and the rest of Southeast Asia and wondered
if his successor President Suharto was of the same mettle. I also
volunteered to liberate Irian Jaya. At the Bandung Conference, Sukarno and U
Nu helped found the Non-Aligned Movement (Nam). Following Burma s
independence, Indonesia came to Rangoon s assistance, while the latter
battled a series of insurrections.
	Since then, I thought these two countries had gone about their separate
ways. But that does not seem to be the case.
	It is evident now that they both espouse militarism over their hard-won
freedom in order to subjugate their people by intimidation, including
rattling the old "commie" skeleton to legitimise their obtuse method of
stifling dissent. That they, especially the leadership, are cooperating
hand-in-glove in nefarious deals to destroy the rain forests for profit is
deplorable. More ominous is the determination of Slorc to imitate Indonesia
s constitution, which allows for the perpetuation of military rule in
government. Should Slorc succeed in forcing the adoption of such a
constitution, 50 years down the road, as it is now in Indonesia, Burma will
have its own East Timor, Irian Jaya, Aceh, religious riots, etc.
		Worried Kachin
		CHIANG MAI