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BURMESE MILITARY BRASSHATS' REPRESE (r)



Subject: Re: BURMESE MILITARY BRASSHATS' REPRESENTATIVE DEFENDS RIGHTS RECORDS

It used to be called, the UN, a world body independent and automous
nations, polarized by the Cold War. When the ex-Nazi Walheim was
secretary general, in the seventies, it was just the same referred to by
senior diplomats there as a club of dictators. Now, with the Cold War
history, it has not changed its look, not significantly. One may be
tempted to say that the UN has once again been discredited by the junta
hack job a la Wing Aung, but those in the audience know his song well,
and sing along, many of them, too many of them, so he can feel to be
among friends there, in good company, among many. 

If the Cold War has been transfigured by Corporate governance, and the
divide widened between the rich and poor, these dictators will continue
to exploit their masters and pay them well in exchange for valuable
resources, and more opportunies to shame the entire free world for
giving them the opportunity to do it. Such is free speech today, a
time-honored virtue in the UN not unlike all the other human rights 
trampled on by the fascist regime in Rangoon. Our job is to try to make
the world and its free institutions more responsive to their duties and
obligations and in so doing expose these scoundrels again and again. And
the Free Burma movement and its supporters will continue to do it. Who
knows if Unocal did not provide an aircraft for Win Aung's visit to New
York, the UN and the Asia Society, not unlike Texaco freely profferred
its jets to Slorc for a visit to Washington some years ago...

If the corporations can do this, and they do, then what is to stop them
from giving Win Aung and his kind the ticket to ride in exchange for
raping their countries of limited and valuable resources, so that the
oil companies can make more billions every year in profit. Did you know,
that with the current price of brent over 23$, that a ten dollar rise in
the price over $10 gives the oil companies another billion dollars in
profits (not taking into account dollar foreign exchnage fluctuation, in
the case of Total, dollar/euro flux).

So when you see Win Aung harping away, and lying to the world, think oil
and gaz. If the generals think they will have the last laugh, you can be
sure they are hand in hand with the oil companies, and their
institutional investors greedy for higher profits.

Did you know that Elf's capitalisation as of last December 1998
represented 4,6% of the total CAC 40 FRench stock market, and 1,8% of
the european Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50. That should give you an idea of
its immensity. Shareholder participation is divided as : 5% employees,
12% individual investors,26% non european institutions; 57% european
institutionals. Thats a lot of non resident shareholders.

For you information, Elf, now part of TOTAL, is very active in Norway
(Elf Petroleum Norge), the UK (Elf Exploration UK) and Pays Bas, (the
Netherlands, Elf Petroland) and the USA (Elf Exploration).

It wasnt just a coincidence that Desmarest and TOTAL made the lightning
fast raid on Elf since March and April. Since the March meeting of the
oil producing countries to limit oil supply, it has sent the price of
oil sky rocketing, giving Total the cash to do the deal, and after Elf
had a disastrous financial year last year, slowing pumping up the weak
company until first it might withstand the assualt, but it was just too
weak and feeble to do it. And finally time ran out, as did the CEO of
Elf his 50$ million, part of standard oil procedure, as proscribed in
Elf's 1998 Annual Report in black and white. 



Julien Moe wrote:
> 
> BURMESE MILITARY BRASSHATS' REPRESENTATIVE DEFENDSTHE SPDC
> By Julien Moe
> 27th September 1999
> 
> Burma's foreign minister defended the country's human rights record before
> the General Assembly as a rule and as taught by his bosses from Rangoon.
> There is a Burmese saying that goes as " Cover from afront but discovered
> from behind". Whatever cost the junta will be done by the brasshats to be
> able to stand on the international stage. Rights records of the Burmese
> regime are so obvious that the lies forwarded by Win Aung of SPDC seem like
> deja vus to the rest of the world.
> 
> The human rights abuses that the SPDC have violated include  crimes against
> humanity (Article 5 of the Statute), namely, persecutions on political, racial
> and religious grounds; inhumane acts; murder; torture,  grave breaches of
> the Geneva Conventions (Article 3 of the Statute), namely, cruel treatment;
> unlawful labour; murder; wanton destruction not justified by military
> necessity; plunder of public or private property; seizure, destruction
> or wilful damage done to institutions dedicated to religion, and
> violations of the laws or customs of war (Article 2 of the Statute), namely,
> inhuman
> treatment; wilful killing; torture; wilfully causing great suffering or
> serious injury to body or health; unlawful transfer of a civilian;
> extensive destruction of private property.
> 
> Will such a regime be able to cheat the United Nations General Assembly, a
> worldbody? The answer is crystal clear. Time will probably expire but the
> Burmese struggle for freedom from fear will never.
>