Total Burma protest at Watford Court and Offices

On 23rd January 2009, the opening day of French Total Oil's Buncefield explosion criminal proceedings at Watford Magristrates Court, Burma protesters and supporters remind passers-by of Total's other disgraces and also leafleted at Total's Watford offices just down the road from the magistrates court.

Watford Magistrates Court

Total Watford Office

We had arranged to demo at the magistrates court, but were videod by a policeman when we later leafleted Total employees and passers-by at their Watford office. The court session only lasted briefly so it was handy to have the Total offices nearby.


Total Denial and Total Disasters

In January 2008 a French court made French Total Oil pay a large share of €200 million in damages to civil parties for Europe's largest oil tanker disaster. The Erika tanker disaster suffocated hundreds of miles of Atlantic coastline killing or injuring 300,000 sea birds. The court said Total, the world's fourth largest oil group, had failed to take into account the age of the ship and deficiencies in its maintenance. This carelessness had a "causal role in the sinking and, as such, provoked the accident", the judge said.

In October 2008 Total Oil was found guilty of price fixing. The European Commission fined nine firms that had been fixing the price of paraffin between 1992 and 2005. French Total Oil was fined 128.1million euros (the 2nd largest fine of the firms involved).

In December 2008 Total Oil faced criminal charges over Buncefield, Europe's largest peacetime blaze and the UK's largest peacetime explosion. Total is facing three charges — failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees; failing to protect persons not in their employment; and causing pollution to ground water in the vicinity of the plant. In October Total finally gave up 3 years of ridiculous denial that they were only liable for damages within 451m of the explosion, putting residents through years of "unnecessary struggle". Ironically Total's partner in Buncefield is Chevron (known as Texaco in UK), the same partner as in Total's Burma Yadana gas pipeline. Chevron and Total are arguing over responsibility for Buncefield : "Chevron, which owns 40 per cent of Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd. claims that Total alone should be responsible for the damage claims, on the grounds that the French company controlled Buncefield's employees and day-to-day operating procedures. "Total proposes that the focal point of the current litigation should be to ensure that Chevron, its joint venture partner, properly faces up to its responsibilities,'' the company said."

The Burmese have long suffered from Total Denial with Total financing the military dictatorship with hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but let's hope Total doesn't manage to get away with it for much longer in the UK and the Buncefield victims get total satisfaction in 2009.

References:

Erika tanker disaster - Europe's largest tanker disaster
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/17/oilspills.pollution

Price fixing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7646408.stm

Buncefield - UK's largest peacetime explosion
Total is facing three charges
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article5268763.ece
3 years of ridiculous denial + Chevron (Texaco) and Total are arguing over responsibility
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2d515930-9407-11dd-b277-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1

Total Denial in Burma
http://www.totaldenialfilm.com/
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.php
http://www.totaloutofburma.org


FUTURE EVENTS

Tuesday 27th January

International Day of Action in Protest of the Arakan-Yunnan Gas Pipeline (Shwe Gas Project)

The Association of the Arakan National Council Supporting (ANC-S) and Arakanese community all over the world along with justice loving friends calls for a global protest against all Chinese embassies on January 27, 2009. This protest aims to stop the building of a gas pipeline that will run from Arakan State in the Union of Burma to Yunnan Province in the Republic of China. Burma has a long history of massive use of forced labour and brutal persecution of villagers by Burmese army bases along gas pipelines. The miserable history of French Total Oil's Yadana gas pipeline is likely to repeat itself. There is a call for a boycott of Daewoo, Hyundai and Samsung products.

Burma's military regime would stand to gain US$ 24 billion over the 20-year contract. This will allow them to maintain their brutal dictatorship over Burma, independent of the will of the Burmese people. Half Burma's budget is spent on the military.

Daewoo International is the lead partner in  the Shwe Gas project conducting the offshore exploration and operation of gas fields. They already have a dreadful record of being an arms manufacturer  in Burma,  illegally exporting Korean arms technology to Burma  (see http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=6477 ). Taeyoung Lee, former Daewoo International President was convicted in Korea for this.

Hyundai Heavy Industries-Doris Engineering and Technip-Samsung Heavy Industries are joining with the Burma's thuggish State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) organisation and China state firm CNPC to develop the gas and construct the pipeline. Both Korean giants produce all kinds for modern amenities, ranging from cars to cell phones as well as computers, TV screen and office supplies.

Under the SPDC, life in Arakan State is hellish. The Arakan people are being subject to political repression, human rights abuses, forced labor, rape, torture, extra judicial killing, ethnic cleansing, land confiscation, extra taxation, heavily militarization, restriction of freedom of movement, restriction to freedom of expression and cultural destruction.

Further information on Shwe Project: http://www.shwe.org/about-shwe/index_html

Time: 12:00 to 13:30  Tuesday 27th January
Location: Chinese Embassy
Street: 49-51 Portland Place London W1B 1JL
Tube: near Oxford Circus/Regents Park | Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/chinaemblon



Thursday 29th January

Change for Burma ! UK Tour 2009

Sarah Armitage and Wesley Robinson from Partners Relief and Development will be undertaking a nationwide tour of the UK during January and February 2009 to speak out about the current situation in Burma. Both Sarah and Wesley have lived and worked with the people of Burma and have seen for themselves the results of many years of rule by a brutal and wicked regime.

On 29th January 2009 at 7.30pm Sarah and Wesley will be speaking at St Barnabas Church, Holden Road, N Finchley. London N 12 (adjacent to Woodside Park tube station)

Time: 7.30pm  Thursday 29th January
Location:  St Barnabas Church, Holden Road, N Finchley. London N 12
Tube: adjacent to Woodside Park tube station | Map: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=N127DN

More tour dates: http://www.uktour2009.info/tour.html
Harrow Sunday 1st February 11am Roxeth Green Free Church, Rayners Lane Estate, Roxeth
Harrow Wednesday 4th February 7pm – Roxeth Green Free Church Cell group, Rayners Lane Estate, Roxeth

This event is a not to be missed opportunity to find out first hand the truth of what is happening in Burma and be given the chance to help make a difference to an oppressed and suffering people.

Partners Relief and Development (PRAD) is an organisation that works with and on behalf of the people of Burma. It has staff based in two offices on the ground in Thailand and international offices in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Norway and New Zealand. They currently help thousands of refugees and displaced people in Thailand and Burma. Special emphasis is given to women and children, who are most vulnerable in times of conflict and crisis. Their work includes emergency relief, development, assistance to marginalised people, capacity building and advocacy.

Change for Burma is a joint campaign by Partners Relief and Development and Christian Solidarity Worldwide, with the aim of bringing long lasting change in Burma.



Friday 30th January

Free Zarganar Amnesty Benefit in Wolverhampton

To raise some funds for Amnesty International and raise awareness of the Plight of Prisoners of Conscience around the world, The Free Zarganar campaign is putting on a benefit gig.

It will feature:
From Tv's Phoenix nights
Your Compere: Mrs Barbara Nice. Famed for her uplifting shows, Stockport housewife Mrs Barbara Nice will be bringing the Laughter in bucketfuls.
Ashley Frieze.
David trent
Dave Bishop
And
Men with Bananas

Date:    Friday, January 30, 2009
Time:    8:30pm - 11:55pm
Location: Arena Theatre
Street: Wulfruna Street
City/Town:    Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Wulfruna+Street%2C+Wolverhampton%2C+United+Kingdom
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=43287438762
tickets are available from http://www.arena.wlv.ac.uk/
or by emailing  paul-savage (AT) hotmail.co.uk


Thursday 12th February

Union Day of Burma

On the coming 12th February 2009, Union Day of Burma; we, the exile/UK branch of Burma’s National League for Democracy, will carry out a campaign action to call for solidarity among all various democracy loving groups inside and outside the country, and for more sympathy and assistance from international community. We would like to cordially invite all ethnic and pro-democracy groups to come and join us on the Day of Solidarity Action (12.02.2009) to present a united front before the regime’s Embassy and to relay a message to the regime to stop their sham roadmaps and to start genuine efforts for sincere democratization in Burma. And we also plan to show a united presence in front of the Burmese Embassy (W1J 5DX), Foreign Office (UK) and the Embassy of Czech Republic (rotating EU President) to call for better assistance from the EU and the UN for pro-democracy movements in Burma.

Burmese Embassy - 12:00 to 13:00
Myanmar/Burma Embassy 19A, Charles St, London W1J 5DX.
Tube: Green Park | Map: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=W1J5DX

Foreign Office (Westminster) – 13:30 to 14:00
King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH
Tube: Westminster | Map: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=SW1A2AH

Czech Republic Embassy (W8 4QY) – 15:00 to 15:30
26 Kensington Palace Gardens London W8 4QY
Tube: Nottingham Hill Gate | Map: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=W84QY

FRESH PANEL DISCUSSION: to denounce 2010 unfair Election
BURMA CAMPAIGN UK: 17:00 to 21:00
28 Charles Square, London N1 6HT
Tube: Old Street Map: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=N16HT

Check for any further events or changes to events:

http://www.burmaforum.org.uk/ Burma Forum
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/events.php Burma Campaign UK
http://www.nld-la.org.uk/ National League for Democracy (UK)
http://www.bdmauk.org     Burmese Democracy Movement Association
http://www.bdcburma.org/  Burma Democractic Concern


INFORMATION

For more information on Total Oil and Burma, reports of actions and dates or
future events see
http://www.totaloutofburma.org

A detailed report on Total Oil's involvement in Burma, written by Burma
Campaign UK, can be downloaded at http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html

Burma Campaign UK on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=727074152#/group.php?gid=5506647705

The Burma Campaign UK has campaigned for human rights and democracy in Burma
since 1991. Support their work at:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/join_donate.html

Contact email: totaloutofburma [at] gmail (dot) com