[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

1996 Burma Selective Purchasing Law



Subject: 1996 Burma Selective Purchasing Laws Round-Up

December 27, 1996

Dear Free Burma Activists:

1996 was a banner year for Burma selective purchasing laws. 

Over the course of the year, six cities, one county and one state enacted
Burma selective purchasing laws - a huge increase over the three cities that
passed similar laws in 1995. More importantly, the scope of these laws
dramatically increased as larger cities - such as San Francisco - and the
State of Massachusetts added billions of dollars of purchasing power to the
Burma boycotts.

When a city enacts a Burma selective purchasing law, the city effectively
bars its purchasing agents from buying goods or services from companies that
do business in Burma. These laws are modeled on similar South Africa-related
laws that were enacted during the campaign against apartheid.

Sources say that, since the passage of the Oakland, San Francisco and
Massachusetts laws in mid-1996, several Japanese companies have dramatically
scaled back plans to invest in light manufacturing facilities in Burma. Such
facilities would have used cheap Burmese labor to manufacture goods for
export to Europe and North America. However, with the increasing political
unrest and economic mismanagement in Burma, the impending threat of economic
sanctions and trade restrictions by the US and Europe, and the growing
boycotts by consumers and cities, Japanese investors do not believe that
there will be markets for Burmese-made goods in Europe and North America.

The passage selective purchasing laws has accelerated the withdrawal of
companies from Burma. Burma laws - particularly in Massachusetts and San
Francisco - are widely reported to have been largely responsible for the
withdrawal of Apple Computer, Eastman Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola and
Philips Electronics.

If trends continue, by the end of 1997 we may well witness a doubling of
local Burma selective purchasing laws, including the spread of the tactic to
cities outside the United States. These laws will cause more companies to
exit while building political pressure at the grassroots level for economic
sanctions at the national and international level.

Please find below a complete list of local Burma selective purchasing laws.
I would be happy to provide more information to Burma activists who would
like to pursue this campaign in their home town and home state.

Simon Billenness
Franklin Research & Development
711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 0211
(617) 423 6655 x225
(617) 482 6179 fax
simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------

LOCALITIES WITH BURMA SELECTIVE PURCHASING LAWS


				Date Passed/Signed

STATES: 1

Massachusetts			6/25/96


COUNTIES: 1

Alameda 			12/10/96	


CITIES: 9

Berkeley (CA)			2/28/95
Madison (WI)			8/15/95
Santa Monica (CA)		11/28/95

Ann Arbor (MI)		        4/15/96
San Francisco (CA)		4/22/96
Oakland (CA)			4/23/96
Carrboro (NC)			10/8/96
Takoma Park (MD)		10/28/96
Boulder (CO)			12/17/96	


LOCALITIES WITH PENDING BURMA SELECTIVE PURCHASING LEGISLATION

New York City (NY)


CITIES THAT HAVE PASSED RESOLUTIONS URGING FEDERAL ECONOMIC SANCTIONS

Seattle (WA)				4/19/95
Chicago (IL)				6/14/95

--------------------------------------------------------------------

COMPANIES WITHDRAWING FROM BURMA AMID CONSUMER AND SHAREHOLDER PRESSURE


Company							        Date

Levi Strauss & Co.					        6/92
PetroCanada							11/92

Amoco								3/94
Liz Claiborne							11/94

Eddie Bauer (subsidiary of Spiegel)				2/95
Macy's (subsidiary of Federated Department Stores)		4/95
[Macy's stopped direct sourcing from Burma but its stores still stock
apparel made in Burma]

Columbia Sportswear						4/96
PepsiCo							        4/96
[PepsiCo sold its equity investment in Burma but maintains a franchise
agreement with a bottler in Burma.]
Oshkosh B'Gosh						        5/96	
Heineken							7/96
Carlsberg							7/96
London Fog/Pacific Trails					8/96
Apple Computer						        10/96
Interbrew (Labatt's)						10/96
Wente Vineyards						        11/96
Motorola							11/96
Philips Electronics						11/96
Hewlett-Packard						        11/96
Eastman Kodak						        12/96

Note: This is not a complete list of corporate withdrawals from Burma.
Please contact with any errors or omissions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------