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Reuters-Activists campaign to revok
- Subject: Reuters-Activists campaign to revok
- From: tinkyi@xxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 16:28:00
Subject: Reuters-Activists campaign to revoke Unocal charter
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Monday April 19, 9:35 pm Eastern Time=20
Activists campaign to revoke Unocal charter
By Timna Tanners=20
LOS ANGELES, April 19 (Reuters) - Activists on Monday revived their =
calls for California to revoke oil company Unocal Corp.'s (UCL - news) =
state charter, saying its interests in Myanmar were tantamount to =
complicity in human rights abuses.=20
Unocal, the only big U.S. oil company with interests in Myanmar (Burma), =
strongly defended its operations in the country and called the =
accusations politically motivated.=20
The company also said it had called off talks for an Afghan pipeline =
project criticized by the group.=20
The United States imposed unilateral sanctions in 1997 against Myanmar =
to protest the military government's human rights record. The sanctions =
barred any new investments in the country but allowed existing projects =
to go ahead.=20
Human rights activists, including attorneys, feminist and gay groups and =
environmentalists, signed on to a second attempt to persuade the state =
attorney general to revoke Unocal's charter. Former state Attorney =
General Dan Lundgren rejected a previous petition last September.=20
But the activists hope that new Attorney General Bill Lockyer will =
reconsider the plea, led by human rights group, the National Lawyers =
Guild. They delivered a 120-page petition that documents what they call =
complicity in human rights violations in Myanmar and Afghanistan.=20
``The Attorney General has a duty to seek a court order forfeiting the =
company's corporate existence,'' said Jim Lafferty, head of the National =
Lawyers Guild chapter in Los Angeles.=20
El Segundo, Calif.-based Unocal is an investor and not an on-the-ground =
partner in the Myanmar natural gas pipeline, spokesman Mike Thacher =
said. French oil group Total supervises the pipeline, he said.=20
``We understand the complexity and sensitivities, but we feel very =
comfortable with our role in the Myanmar project (in Burma) and some of =
the changes and benefits that we have brought to the pipeline region,'' =
Thacher said.=20
The activists accuse Unocal of complicity in human rights abuse due to =
its pipeline talks in Afghanistan and the Myanmar pipeline. They cited =
crimes against women and homosexuals by the Taleban militia in =
Afghanistan and forced labor and relocations at the Myanmar pipeline.=20
``Unocal's pipeline project is in a civil war zone, which had to be =
pacified and must be guarded by troops,'' the group said in a report. =
``Unocal knew or should have known that the pipeline would lead to human =
rights violations and death.''=20
They also said Unocal did not condition its canceled Afghan pipeline =
negotiations on an improved women's rights record.=20
Thacher said Unocal decided not to participate in Afghanistan because =
its government was too unstable and was not recognized by the United =
Nations, adding that U.N. recognition would likely require an improved =
human rights record.=20
The activists encouraged California to take the example of New York =
state's lawsuits against cigarette research companies, charging them =
with deceiving the public about health risks. Unocal should answer to =
human rights violations overseas in its home state of California, =
according to the activists.=20
``We're a business and not a diplomatic corps,'' Thacher said. ``We make =
business investment decisions that follow ethical standards. We have =
consistently taken the position that it's better that we be there.''=20
A September 1998 report on Myanmar labor practices by the U.S. =
Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs does not say =
Unocal participated in the forced labor or relocations, but says partner =
Total may have had knowledge of the military's abuses.=20
The last time California revoked a company's charter was in 1976 when a =
Republican Attorney General, Evelle Younger, dissolved a private water =
company after charges it served contaminated water.=20
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<DIV><B>Monday April 19, 9:35 pm <SMALL>Eastern Time</SMALL></B>=20
<H2>Activists campaign to revoke Unocal =
charter</H2><!--rf|924582900--><!-- TextStart -->
<P>By Timna Tanners=20
<P>LOS ANGELES, April 19 (Reuters) - Activists on Monday revived their =
calls for=20
California to revoke oil company Unocal Corp.'s (<A=20
href=3D"http://quote.yahoo.com/q?s=3Ducl&d=3Dt">UCL</A> - <A=20
href=3D"http://biz.yahoo.com/n/u/ucl.html">news</A>) state charter, =
saying its=20
interests in Myanmar were tantamount to complicity in human rights =
abuses.=20
<P>Unocal, the only big U.S. oil company with interests in Myanmar =
(Burma),=20
strongly defended its operations in the country and called the =
accusations=20
politically motivated.=20
<P>The company also said it had called off talks for an Afghan pipeline =
project=20
criticized by the group.=20
<P>The United States imposed unilateral sanctions in 1997 against =
Myanmar to=20
protest the military government's human rights record. The sanctions =
barred any=20
new investments in the country but allowed existing projects to go =
ahead.=20
<P>Human rights activists, including attorneys, feminist and gay groups =
and=20
environmentalists, signed on to a second attempt to persuade the state =
attorney=20
general to revoke Unocal's charter. Former state Attorney General Dan =
Lundgren=20
rejected a previous petition last September.=20
<P>But the activists hope that new Attorney General Bill Lockyer will =
reconsider=20
the plea, led by human rights group, the National Lawyers Guild. They =
delivered=20
a 120-page petition that documents what they call complicity in human =
rights=20
violations in Myanmar and Afghanistan.=20
<P>``The Attorney General has a duty to seek a court order forfeiting =
the=20
company's corporate existence,'' said Jim Lafferty, head of the National =
Lawyers=20
Guild chapter in Los Angeles.=20
<P>El Segundo, Calif.-based Unocal is an investor and not an =
on-the-ground=20
partner in the Myanmar natural gas pipeline, spokesman Mike Thacher =
said. French=20
oil group Total supervises the pipeline, he said.=20
<P>``We understand the complexity and sensitivities, but we feel very=20
comfortable with our role in the Myanmar project (in Burma) and some of =
the=20
changes and benefits that we have brought to the pipeline region,'' =
Thacher=20
said.=20
<P>The activists accuse Unocal of complicity in human rights abuse due =
to its=20
pipeline talks in Afghanistan and the Myanmar pipeline. They cited =
crimes=20
against women and homosexuals by the Taleban militia in Afghanistan and =
forced=20
labor and relocations at the Myanmar pipeline.=20
<P>``Unocal's pipeline project is in a civil war zone, which had to be =
pacified=20
and must be guarded by troops,'' the group said in a report. ``Unocal =
knew or=20
should have known that the pipeline would lead to human rights =
violations and=20
death.''=20
<P>They also said Unocal did not condition its canceled Afghan pipeline=20
negotiations on an improved women's rights record.=20
<P>Thacher said Unocal decided not to participate in Afghanistan because =
its=20
government was too unstable and was not recognized by the United =
Nations, adding=20
that U.N. recognition would likely require an improved human rights =
record.=20
<P>The activists encouraged California to take the example of New York =
state's=20
lawsuits against cigarette research companies, charging them with =
deceiving the=20
public about health risks. Unocal should answer to human rights =
violations=20
overseas in its home state of California, according to the activists.=20
<P>``We're a business and not a diplomatic corps,'' Thacher said. ``We =
make=20
business investment decisions that follow ethical standards. We have=20
consistently taken the position that it's better that we be there.''=20
<P>A September 1998 report on Myanmar labor practices by the U.S. =
Department of=20
Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs does not say Unocal =
participated=20
in the forced labor or relocations, but says partner Total may have had=20
knowledge of the military's abuses.=20
<P>The last time California revoked a company's charter was in 1976 when =
a=20
Republican Attorney General, Evelle Younger, dissolved a private water =
company=20
after charges it served contaminated water.=20
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