Burma France

[cd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

The following AFP on Texaco (23.9.97), in French, appeared in the french 
national Liberation newspaper. We pass it on (its small and was buried inside). 

TODAY,Free Burma gets a boost, Friday, in Le Monde, 
national french newspaper, with leader to full page inside story 
on the freedom struggle in Burma citing forced labor, tourist boycott, 
Total pipeline, and an interview with FIDH, the paris based League of 
Human Rights (Federation International des Droits de l'Homme). 

Excepts are printed below, in French, without accents. 
There are three stories, with full top page lead headline "Le tourism en Birmanie est 
remis en question par les Occidentaux" (Burma Tourism is put to question 
by the West")

Its a fair story bringing french readers up to date on the struggle, 
boycott movements, FBC campus activism. Why now? There is currently, in 
that lovely beach town Deauville, a Travel and Tourist Show ('Top Resa')
with 12000 travel agents and company exhibitors inaugurated by French 
Tourist minister Michelle Desmessine. 

2nd story, an Interview with FIDH author Anne-Christine Habbard,author of the 
SAIN/ERI inspired report on BURMA and TOTAL

3rd, a bar column story on Burma travellers, 'Travellers seized by doubt".

Anyone interested in these stories can contact EuroBurmanet now
<cd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> or find them soon on the website.

Check out the Tourist Boycott site at: 
http://www-uvi.eunet.fr/asia/euro-burma/
Worldwide TOTAL Boycott
http://www-uvi.eunet.fr/asia/euro-burma/total/

************************

dawn star wrote:
> 
> Birmanie (Liberation,p.8, apres AFP, 23.9.97)
> 
> Le geant petrolier americain Texaco, qui
> est la cible aux Etats-Unis de critiques virulentes des
> associationns de défense des droits de l'homme lui reporchant de
> co-operer avec la junte militaire birmane, a decide de se retirer
> de Bimanie.
> 
> En avril, Washington avait interdit tout nouvel investissement
> dans ce pays, en raison de la 'repression à grande echelle exercee par
> l'armee. Texaco va transferer sa part (36,4%) dans le projet gazier de
> Yetagun à une companie petrolier etrangere. Il s'agirait selon certaines
> sources de la firme malaise Petronas. Selon d'autres sources, il
> s'agirait de la compagnie italienne Agip International.
> 
> Texaco se retire de Birmanie en depit de resultats 'tres prometteurs'.
> Yetagun est situe au nord du gisement gazier offshore de Yadana, auquel
> participent l'americain Unocal et le francais TOTAL. Ces firmes sont
> aussi accusees d'apporter un soutien economique a la junte au pouvoir.