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NEWS - Advocacy tour in Europe on t



Subject: NEWS - Advocacy tour in Europe on the political and humanitarian

consequences of the Yadana and Yetagun gas pipelines
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via SHAN - EU

Advocacy tour in Europe on the political and humanitarian consequences
of the Yadana and Yetagun gas pipelines

8 May 1999 - 9 June 1999
Report by Nai Sunthorn Sripanngern
Mon Unity League

The trip was organized and sponsored by BCN of The Netherlands in
coordination with Burma Working Group Belgium, INFO Birmanie France and
Burma Action Group UK. 

The aim of our advocacy tour is: 
þ to increase the pressure on Total (France), Premier Oil (UK) and IHC
Caland (subcontractor of Premier Oil, from the Netherlands) to recognise
the call from Burma's democratic and ethnic forces not to invest in
Burma with its bad human rights record.
þ to raise the awareness in these companies on public issues such as
human rights and democratisation. 
 . to lobby towards sanctions by the European Union.

The delegation from source area of the gas pipeline:
Mr Tyler Giannini, Director, Earthfights International
Nai Sunthorn Sripanngern, General Secretary, Mon Unity League
Ms Esther Saw Lone, Coordinator, Women Rights Project (Earthrights
International)

The delegation traveled from Amsterdam to Brussels and on to Paris to
London to Amsterdam, timed around the shareholder meetings of Total May
11, Premier Oil May 18 and IHC Caland June 4, 1999. The delegation
traveled to Brussels twice: firstly on May 10 at the occasion of the
start of a Belgian Campaign towards Petrofina (the Belgian part of
Total), second as part of the lobby on the European politicians on May
28, 1999.

Mr Tyler Giannini introduced the humanitarian and political consequences
of the gas industry's investments including political, humanitarian and
other "technical" issues. 

Nai Sunthorn Sripanngern introduced the ethnic diversity of Burma, the
country compose of 8 main ethnic groups namely Chin, Kachin, Karen,
Karenni, Arakan, Shan, Mon, Myanmar(Burman). Explained how the ethnic
peoples are struggling for their social and racial rights to the
successive Burman dominated government. What the problems are that the
Mon people facing in practice, the effects from the gas pipeline. Issues
in the discussions are forced labour, forced relocation, portering and
other human rights violations by the Burmese army happening in Mon State
snspite of the cease fire agreement between NMSP and Burmese SLORC. 


Ester Saw Leone introduced her personal account, as a mother or as a
teacher of Karen National High School, the plight of her students, the
serious stories of Karen refugees, interview the victims of Gas Pipeline
Project from the Mergui-Tavoy district.

The Appointments

8 May, 1999: Sunthorn and Esther Arrived at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam,
The 
Netherlands, met Mr Gijs Hillenius, Burma Centrum Nederland (BCN) Stayed
at Mr Tom kramer's (BCN) house. Dinner hosted by Ms Minka Nijhuis, (the
author of the book " Burma behind the Mask"), Gijs, Dorothy, Tom, Moe
Thee Zun, Aung Moe Zaw, Min Zin, Eef, Simon, Den Orzech,

9 May: 13:54 hrs departed from Amsterdam Central Station 16:32 hrs
arrived at Brussels Mid Station, met Mr Gregor Chapelle ( Burma Working
Group) Stayed and dinner at Gregor's house, his Mom, Ms Isabelle, Ms
Esther Saw Lone, Mrs Brigitte, Mr Janek, , Mr Francis, Michel Beankens,
Mr Aung Ko (Movie star in "Beyond Rangoon), Mr Michel Diricq (INFO
Birmanie)

10 May: Press Conference at International Press Centre Participation
start of boycott campaign towards Petrofina "Petro ou Burmanie" ICFTU,
Samuel GRUMIAU, Agens Gorissen, Pax Christi International, a number
journalists were presented including NGOs. Mr. Tyler Giannini arrived.
Maung Sein, Kris Deckers, Chris Dehoy
Lunch 
Departed from Brussel Mid Station 18:40 hrs, arrived Paris Gard du Nord
at 20:05 hrs, met Ms Camille of INFO Birmanie 
Stayed at the hotel

11 May: Total shareholders assembly, Mr. Tyler raised some questions and
Mr Michel Diricq's presentation on behalf of Nai Sunthorn in the
meeting, Press Conference in the afternoon, at Info Birmanie Office
Press Room, Journalist,Frederic Eiguer, 

12 May: Went to British Embassy in Paris
Hearing at French National Parliament with Information Mission French
Parliament, Ms Marie Helen Aubert (Green Party), Mr Roland Blum (Liberal
Democracy Party)

13 May: Sightseeing manage by Mr.Francis
Departed from Paris in the evening for Amsterdam
Met Gijs, Tom at the Amsterdam CS

14 May: Holly Fisher, Katherine Pieratos (When Spiders Unite), Mr David
Arnott Applied British visa for Nai Sunthorn

17 May: Piechar picked up the British Visa for Nai Sunthorn Departed
from Amsterdam, together with Moe Thee Zun, Aung Moe Zaw, Min Zin
arrived London, met Ko Aung, Jecky, 
Yvette Mahon, John Jackson (Burma Action Group UK), 

18 May: Shareholder meeting Premier Oil, a joint venture with the
Burmese Army in 
Yetagun project.
Demonstration in front of the assembly building, The Burmese group UK,
about 25 men and women of Burmese national 
Mr Christopher Hopson, Features Editor, UPSTREAM, The International Oil
& Gas Newspaper

19 May: Premier Oil Head Office, Mr Charles Jamieson, Chief Executive, 
Dr Richard Jones, Corporate Medical Socio-Economic and Security Advisor
Visited Christian Aid, met with Ms Nicola Rigby, Mr Martin Morland 

20 May: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Marilia Astle, Desk Officer -
Burma South 
East Asian Department, Mr John Saville Head Commonwealth and Burma
Section
Departed from London for Amsterdam


25 May: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DO/AP, Den Haag, Mr. Jeroen
Roodenburg, 
South-East Asia and Oceania
Gave presentation at Faculty of Business administration, Erasmus
University, Rotterdam 13:00 - 16:00 hrs, Prof dr Rob vn Tulder,
students-unions and people interested in development and ethical
investment issues

26 May: Appointment at City Council, general audience, IFOR, Alkmaar,
Ian 
Stevenson, Anja Sloot, Thilo Maurer, Bert Assies, Henk Caminada, 
Shelley Anderson 

27 May: Brussels, Lauvain University, Brigitte, Chris Dehoy
Euro Burma office, Sally, Dr Thaung Tun, U Soe Pein
Dinner and stayed at Sally's house

28 May: Press Conference, at Euro Burma Office, Tom Kramer, Moe The Zun, 
Aung Moe Zaw, Michel Beankens, Ms Vicky Bowman, Jane Backhurst (World
Vision), Dr Gabriele Reimeier (Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung), Dick
Gupwell, Mabel Wisse Smit, P.Kamalam 
Met European Commission, Mr Winston Mc Colgan, 
Principal Administrator
Departed from Brussels for Amsterdam

30 May: Press Conference at BCN Office, Anne-Marieke Steeman, Wiert
Wiertsema
and a number of NGOs attended.

31 May: Groningen, Mr.Bert Giskes (COS, Centre for Development
Education) 
Mr. Henny Helmich, Ms Kies Birgit, Members of the Dutch Labour Party 
(PvdA) in the race for the European Parliament:OECD/OCDE 
External Co-operation - Development Centre, 
Milieudefensie Groningen (Environmental Local NGO) 

1 June: Novib, Programme Officer East and Southeast Asia 
Bureau Projects Department, Mr. Jeroen Overweel

2 June: ABP, Heerlen (a pension fund) Mr Jelle Mensonides, Managing
director, Mr. 
Rene Maatman, Chief Counsel,
Mr.Renzo Garrone, RAM Association, Italy 

3 June: Visited UNPO Head Office, about one hour discussion on the issue
of 
Mon and UNPO with Ms Helen Corbett, General Secretary

4 June: IHC Caland shareholder meeting at Hilton International
Hotel,Rotterdam, 
demonstration outside the hotel. A number of TV and newspapers reporters
were there. IHC Caland is the partner of Premier Oil that invested in
Yetagun project in Burma. A number of questions were raised at the
meeting, short conversation with Mr.Bax, Chairman of IHC Caland. 

7 June: FNV (Trade Union) Alkmaar

8 June: Cow farm, De Oosterhof, met with Mr.Gerard and Willem Scholtev

9 June: Departed from Amsterdam for Bangkok

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

The following is the presentation by Nai Sunthorn Sripanngern (But it
was flexible depend upon the time allowed and the audience.)

Burma is composed of eight main ethnic nationalities. The Mon is one of
the main ethnic groups in Burma living in southern part of the country.
The Mon and other ethnic non-Burman communities of Burma have been
deprived of their birth right to teaching and learning their own ethnic
languages in order to preserve their culture heritage.

The successive Burman dominated governments in Rangoon have
systematically exercised a policy of Burmanization throughout the
country. In that process, the ethnic non-Burman peoples are not allowed
to study their own languages and literature in schools, whereas the
Burman language and literature is taught as a compulsory subject from
kindergarten through university.


The self isolated policy by the previous Burmese military government and
the present military dictatorship are basically for the purpose of
ethnic cleansing. For more than two centuries from the loss of the last
Mon sovereign country until recently, the Mon Buddhist monastries have
been served as the only center preserving the old Mon palm leafs
inscriptions and as the only school teaching basic Mon literature to the
Mon children.

Over the last few decades, some young Mon people and the Mon monastic
communities have taken an effort in realizing self-help Mon literacy
campaign throughout the Mon region every summer time, when the
government schools are normally closed. Even this self-help occasional
Mon literacy movement is not allowed to happen and grow freely under the
rule of the Burman-dominated racist military dictatorship.

The ethnic non-Burman nationalities such as Chin, Kachin, Karen,
Karenni, Arakan, Shan and Mon have been struggling for their racial
equality and self determination since the Burma gained independence from
British in 1948. Because the ethnic peoples are very much aware of their
painful experience under the Burmese rulers before the British occupied
lower Burma in 1824.
The Mon people have been struggling for their rights through democracy
and parliamentary ways, for example they took part in 1960 and also in
1990 election and won some competed seats. At the moment, there are two
Mon political parties in Burma, Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF) and
New Mon State Party (NMSP). The MNDF, which won five seats in 1990
election, is a member of United Nationalities League for Democracy
(UNLD) the alliance of NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The UNLD was
previously calling for convene of parliament and then has taken part in
the Committee Representing Peoples Parliament (CRPP) led by NLD. For
these reasons, the three of outspoken Mon MPs were arrested and
imprisoned for seven years jail term with hard labor in December last
year while the other one escaped and fled to Thailand.

Meanwhile the NMSP is the Mon armed resistant group based in
Thailand-Burma border and cooperating with the other ethnic non-Burman
armed resistant groups under the umbrella organization named National
democratic Front (NDF) opposed to the Burmese dictatorship in Rangoon.

Thailand has changed its policy toward Burma since the Burmese military
regime granted business concessions to Thai companies. Obviously since
it has involved in gas exploration in Burma in October 1993, it put
constant pressure on NMSP to enter into a cease fire agreement with the
Burmese military regime. 

More than ten thousand Mon refugees were forcibly repatriated from
Thailand into Burma in late 1993 and early 1994. Then the Burmese
military troops attacked and burnt down the repatriated Mon refugee camp
in July 1994. In consequence, thousands of refugees had to flee across
the Thai border through rainy and muddy way in the forest. Unfortunately
the Thai authorities pushed them back into Burma again within two weeks.
That was the Mon situation before the cease fire. 


At the same time the Thai provided facilitation to NMSP leaders for
cease fire negotiation with the Burmese military regime. The NMSP
representatives were picked up by helicopter from the border to Bangkok
and to Rangoon for negotiation with the Burmese military regime. After
several rounds of negotiation, the NMSP reached a cease fire agreement
with the regime with some condition such as the Mon refugees are allowed
to stay in the cease fire area of NMSP in Burma side and cross border
assistance for the refugees from the Thai border.

Now it has come to four years of cease fire between NMSP and the Burmese
military regime SLORC now SPDC. However the human rights situation in
Mon State is not improved, but the presence of Burmese troops has
increased in wider area and the political activities of NMSP have been
under the pressure and disturbed by the Burmese military troops. Tens of
thousands of Mon people were forced to work as slave labors in building
a 110 mile long Ye -Tavoy railway which for five years from 1993 to
1998. In February 1997, the Burmese military troops conscripted
thousands of people in the capital city of Mon State, Moulmein, and used
as front line porters when they attacked the KNU Head Quarters. More
than one hundreds Mon people were died and thousands of Karen peoples
fled to Thailand because of fighting. 

The Burmese military regime has deployed much more its military troops
in Mon region especially along the giant Total Unocal and Premier Oil
gas pipe line. In the beginning of the project the local people were
forced to work in clearing the forest along the gas pipe line and then
they were forced to leave their home and their village. More than three
thousand local ethnic peoples such as Mon, Karen and Tavoyan were
forcibly relocated from the gas pipeline area into the restricted
relocation site controlled by the Burmese soldiers. Furthermore, these
people are forced to work for the military purposes such as to build the
military barracks, grow vegetables for the soldiers and carry the loads
when the soldiers go for patrolling the gas pipelind. The peoples in the
relocation site are not allowed to work in their farms or fishing
freely, they must be presented at their relocation sites before night
time.

Under the gun point, the local people near the gas pipeline are forced
to work without option. A number of these victims escaped and fled into
the cease fire zone of NMSP and became internally displaced persons
without any humanitarian assistance from the out world. 

So far the present cease fire agreement between the Burmese military
regime and over a dozen ethnic non-Burman armed opposition groups, as
well as ASEAN's constructive engagement policy to Burma have not brought
about any significant improvement in the situation of human rights and
have not helped pave the way for peace and democracy in Burma.

More over, foreign investment and trading in Burma have not helped the
Burmese population in general, but only strengthen the Burmese military
forces to prolong the SPDC stay in power and to further oppress the
civilian people including the elected MPs.


We appreciate with the activities of the European NGOs and the
withdrawal of some western business companies from Burma. Moreover we
call for European governments to use their influence over the Burmese
military regime to accept a tripartite dialogue with the NLD and the
ethnic national leaders and solve their own problem by themselves.

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