TRAVEL COMPANIES
USA, UK, Thailand, Switzerland,
Germany, Singapore:
FACT: Forced labor and child
labor was used to develop many tourist facilities. There are over 900 slave
labor camps in Burma.
FACT: Aung San Suu Kyi and the
Burmese democracy movement have asked tourists not to visit Burma because
it helps fund the regime.
FACT: It is common for the Burmese
that speak to or host foreign travelers to be arrested and imprisoned.
FACT: Rail lines for tourist travel
were built using forced labor.
FACT: Foreigners are followed by
plain clothed police or military.
FACT: Japanese foreign journalist
was shot dead at point blank range with his camera still in hand.
BURMA BLACKLIST OF TRAVEL TOUR OPERATORS
A World Away Travels - Colorado, USA - US Tour Operator - Email
Adventures Abroad - Sheffield, UK - American Travel Company
- Email
*Abercrombie &
Kent - Illinois, USA - American Holiday Operator - Comment:
"Some travellers have concerns about the current political regime, but
travel dollars mean work for Burmese people, and contact with visitors
from abroad opens a window to the outside world." ... Such as slave labor
and imprisonment for communicating with foreigners! Tel:
630-954-2944
*Andrew Brock Travel -
Rutland, UK - Tour Operator - Owner adanantly fully supports
sending tourists to Burma and thinks beloved nobel peace prize recipient
and democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi - elected
in landslide victory, but imprisoned - is wrong to ask tourists to stay
away! Does not return calls.
Email
Andaman Club - Bangkok, Thailand - Luxury Casino Hotel in Southern
Burma - Email
Archaeological Tours - NY, USA - Archaeological and historical
study tours - Email
*Asean Explorer
- Alderney, UK - Travel Company - REFUSED TO COMMENT WHEN CONTACTED BY
THE GUARDIAN - Email
Audley Travel - Oxfordshire, UK - Travel Company - Does
not return calls. Email
Bales Worldwide - Surrey, UK - Travel Company
Bamboo Travel - London, UK - Travel Company
Diethelm Keller/STA Travel - Switzerland - Holiday tours to
Burma.
Dragon Travel - Wales, UK - Travel Company
Gecko's Adventures - Berkshire, UK - Travel Company - Email
Hapag-Lloyd - Hamburg, Germany - Exports Burmese products and
holiday cruise operator.
Keppel Corporation - Singapore - Keppel Land owns the Sedona
Hotels in Yangon and Mandalay.
*Pettitts
- UK travel company - REFUSED TO COMMENT WHEN CONTACTED BY THE GUARDIAN
*Orient Express,
a travel company that runs a cruiser on the Irrawaddy river and a hotel
in Rangoon - October 2007 comment: "Tourism can be a catalyst for change".
There has been very slow progress, but we feel it has helped."
*The Ultimate Travel
Company - October 2007 comment "We feel we just like to offer the people
who travel with us a choice. If people want to travel, they can. And really
I'd prefer not to enter into a debate about it."
*Mekong Travel
- Buckinghampshire, UK - Their website describes how decades of isolation
as a result of military dictatorship "have preserved here many of the traditional
features, physical and cultural, which have been lost in other Asian countries."!
- Email
Aung San Suu Kyi prefers tourists not visit
as their money funds the
military and puts lives in danger. A nobel
peace prize recipient, she is
feared and hated by Burma's violently cruel
military leader Than Shwe
who keeps her imprisoned.
TRAVEL GUIDE BOOKS TO BURMA
USA, UK, Australia:
BURMA BLACKLIST OF TRAVEL PUBLICATIONS
Fodor's/Random House - NY, USA - Travel guides publisher.
Hunter Publishing/Nelles Guides - USA - Travel guide publisher.
Impact Publications - VA, USA - Travel guide publisher.
Insight Guides - London, UK - Promotes travel to Burma.
Let1s Go/Pan MacMillan - USA/UK - Promotes travel to Burma.
Lonely Planet - Victoria. Australia - Publishing company vigorously
defends tourism to Burma. - Email
ENTERTAINMEMT - Burmas
Exclusive Golf Course:
*Gary Player had a golf
course designed and built in Burma in November 2nd 2002 - Pun
Hlaing Golf Club in Yangon - for the pleasure playground of the brutal
military rulers! October 2007, Nelson Mandela withdrew an invitation
to Player to host a charity fundraising tournament. The move came after
a call by
Desmond Tutu who adores Aung San Suu Kyi.
George Monbiot - Tuesday October 2, 2007 - The Guardian
"A powerful symbol of oppression. Some of the country's courses have
been uilt on land seized from peasant farmers, who were evicted without
compensation. Golf is the sport of the generals, who conduct much of their
business on the links.
Player's website shows him, in 2002, launching the "grand opening" of
the golf course he designed, which turned "a 650-acre rice paddy into The
Pride of Myanmar. The golfer's paradise that stands in Myanmar today is
said to be living proof that miracles do happen." I asked his company the
following questions. Who owned the land on which the course was constructed?
How many people were evicted in order to build it? Was forced labour used
in its construction? As Player's company is based in Florida, did the design
of this course break US sanctions? His media spokesman told me: "The Gary
Player Group has decided not to comment on any questions regarding Myanmar-Burma."
Shocking and Disgusting Attitude!
Mr Player is not known for his sensitivity to the plight of the
downtrodden. He described apartheid South Africa as "maligned, misunderstood,
pilloried" after he was heckled while playing abroad.
He was closely tied to the ruling National party during the 1970s as
a member of a clique that launched a pro-apartheid newspaper with the
help of illegal government funding.
He has also been criticised for failing to speak up on behalf of his
country's best-known golfer of Indian descent, Sewsunker "Papwa" Sewgolum,
who was forced in 1963 to stand in the rain to accept a major trophy because
he wasn't allowed inside the racially exclusive Durban Country Club. Mr
Player later said he welcomed Mr Sewgolum playing in South African tournaments
because he brought "colour" to golf.
Player's EXCUSE
AND PLEA to be understood - October 8th 2007 - Email
BOYCOTT PLAYER! BOYCOTT PLAYER'S COMPANY!
|
World predators in bed with the military junta
are not exclusive to China
but include France, USA, UK, Denmark, Canada
and New Zealand.
ENVIRONMENTAL THEFT AND RAPE:
FACT: The environment is being devastated.
Forests and resources are being depleted. Wild animals such as tigers are
being threatened and killed. The destruction of Burma's forests threatens
rare mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants with extinction. There
are a calculated 144 threatened species that rely on their populations
surviving only in this one country.
FACT: Military operations, especially
landmines, destroy wildlife, and obviously people
FACT: Over 3,000 villages have
been burnt, destroyed or reallocated for pipelines, military bases as well
as for foreign logging and mining companies.
FACT: Ethnic vilagers are commonly
raped, arrested, tortured, murdered or used as slave labor.
FACT: The Karins and other ethnic
minorities are being brutalized and systematically murdered daily.
FACT: Foreign companies have to
pay the military in order to receive licenses to mine gems (rubies, jade,
diamonds) and minerals, and to cut down teak forests.
FACT: Foreign companies pay
the military to guard their pipelines and their employees.
FACT: The Burmese regime owns all
teak plantations in Burma and teak sales earn the regime millions of dollars
every year.
LOGGING
UK, France, Singapore, Denmark,
Australia:
BURMA BLACKLIST OF TEAK PLANTATION OWNERS AND SELLERS
*Britannic
Garden Furniture Ltd - Bristol, UK - Teak garden furniture,
makes its benches from Burmese teak and supplies the royal parks and the
Tower of London
Two Separate Comments October 2007:
1) "As for Aung San Suu Kyi, admitted her party had won the election
on a very small turnout (82%!).
We note that she seems to be very comfortable and well looked after in
her bungalow and seems easily to communicate with the outside world."
2) "I know it's no excuse to say we don't buy it directly ... You try
and get teak from other sources. But it's rubbish ... The government has
given us no directive not to trade with Burma."
In other words, they disrespect Aung San Suu Kyi, and unless specifically
ordered by the British government, they refuse to withdraw from Burma!
Email
|
Andaman Teak Supplies Pty Ltd - QLD. Australia - Teak Supplier
- Email
D.A. Watts & Sons - Norhants, UK - Teak decks.
E.O. Burton - Essex, UK - Teak importer.
Euro Teck - Nantes, France - Importation and distribution of
Burmese teak to France and Europe.
Flatau Dick & Co - Surrey and Liverpool, UK - Teak Merchant.
Ginnacle Import-Export Pte Ltd - Singapore - Logging, sales
and marketing of Burmese teak lumber, decking and furniture.
Hawke House Ltd - Gosport, UK - Burmese teak decking.
H20 Yachts - France - French tboatbuilding,
restoration and fitting company. All of their teak is sourced from Burma.
Email
James Latham - Hemel Hempstead UK - Timber importer of Burmese
teak.
Kircodan Furniture - Denmark - Danish furniture manufacturer
that sources timber from Burma. Furniture is sold in the UK.
Lister/Sun Wood Industries - Sussex, UK - Lister is a garden
furniture manufacturer based in Sussex. Its parent company is Sun Wood
Industries in Thailand. It sources teak from Burma.
Mel Flooring - Essex, UK - Flooring company that sells Burmese
Teak. - Email
Robbins Timber - Bristol, UK -
They boast that they are one of the largest UK stockists of Burmese teak.
-
Email
*William Garvey,
the owner of the furniture company that bears his name and works mostly
in Burmese teak, admitted October 2007, that he buys timber "that comes
from Rangoon, through government channels". But if he stopped, "a highly
likely consequence is that the rate of felling would increase dramatically
... Whatever you may think about the Burmese government, they are still
using a sustainable system for extracting teak." Aren't human rights a
component of sustainability? "In the strict sense, no."
GAS AND OIL
China, India, Russia, USA, Japan,
Korea, Singapore, Canada, NZ, Scotland.
FACT: Gas
exports are the regime's largest source of income.
FACT: The
reason the protests begun in Burma in September 2007, was because prices
were raised beyond belief.
-
BURMA BLACKLIST - TWO LEADING OFFENDERS
1) *Total
S.A. the French oil compamy, is able to operate the Yadana
natural gas pipeline from Burma to Thailand despite the European UnionÕs
sanctions on Burma.
Total is currently the subject
of a lawsuit in French and Belgian courts for the condoning and use of
Burman civilian slavery to construct the named pipeline. Experts
say that the human rights abuses along the gas pipeline are the direct
responsibility of Total S.A. and its American partner Chevron
with aid and implementation by the Tatmadaw. Prior to its acquisition by
Chevron, Unocal settled a similar human rights lawsuit for a reported multi-million
dollar amount. - Source: Wikipedia.
TOTAL OIL ADAMANTLTY REFUSES TO LEAVE BURMA!
Total is one of the biggest foreign investors
in Burma. The Burmese government in exile criticises Total for allegedly
funding
rape, murder and genocide in Burma, as a result of hiring members of the
military to guard their pipeline.
In 2005 a 14
year old girl was allegedly gang raped by sixteen members of the Burmese
army employed by Total to guard their pipeline.
Many activists feel Total has not taken adequate steps to bring those responsible
to account.
Total has been taken to court by six Burmese people
who claimed they were used as forced labour in the preparation of Total's
pipeline in Burma. Total paid the villages to drop the case in 2005.
TOTAL PRESS RELEASE - September 26th 2007:
In light of recent events unfolding in Myanmar,
Total would like to restate its position regarding its presence in the
country.
First of all, the Group would like to express
its deep concern over the present situation, which it is monitoring very
closely. Under these particular circumstances, Total is deploying heightened
vigilance to ensure the safety of its employees (what
about the safety of the Burmese?). We
hope that the current tensions facing the country will quickly subside
and that solutions will be found (nothing
has been done since 1962) in order to
safeguard the population and protect human rights (slave
labor, rape, imprisonment, torture and murder).
We are convinced that through our presence we
are helping to improve the daily lives of tens of thousands of people who
benefit from our social and economic initiatives (continued
slave labor, rape, imprisonment, torture and murder).
By promoting responsible behavior (slave
labor), our local teams can serve as a
model for business and political leaders looking for ways to address the
country's human rights issues.
We would like to thank all those who have encouraged
us to pursue our actions to help the local people and enhance their well-being
through the defense of common values (slave
labor, rape, imprisonment, torture and murder).
To those who ask us to leave the country, we reply that far from solving
Myanmar's problems, a forced withdrawal would only lead to our replacement
by other operators probably less committed to the ethical principles guiding
all our initiatives (meaning - We will
lose millions of dollars). Our departure
could cause the population even greater hardship (less
slave labor, rape, imprisonment, torture and murder)
and is thus an unacceptable risk. (meaning
- We REFUSE to lose millions of dollars).
Jean-François Lassalle,
Vice-President Public Affairs,Total Exploration
& Production.
http://www.total.com/en/common/contact/
2)*CHEVRON
- San Ramon, CA, USA - Chevron has been one of the joint venture
partners developing the Yadana offshore gas field in Burma, which earns
the military regime millions of dollars. Chevron also owns Texaco.
CHEVRON
RESS RELEASE
October 2nd 2007
- |
BURMA BLACKLIST OF GAS AND OIL COMPANIES
*Aquatic -
Aberdeen, Scotland - Specialist services to the oil and gas industry in
Burma - REFUSED TO TALK WHEN CONTACTED BY THE GUARDIAN - Email
Baker Hughes - Houston, Texas, USA - Supplier of products and
services to the oil and natural gas industry - Email
BJ Services - Houston, TX, USA - American oil service company.
CHC Helicopter Corporation - Richmond, BC, Canada - Provides
offshore operations of international oil companies operating in the country.
China National Offshore Oil Corp - Beijing,
China - Several gas fields in Burma with multiple drilling contracts
including offshore contract.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)
-
Beijing, China - CNPC is China's
largest oil and gas company. It has been involved in Burma1s oil and gas
industry for more than a decade.
*Daewoo International
Corporation - S.Korea - Burmese interests range from
oil and gas, to grain, televisions and cars. Comment October 2007:
"We have gas fields under production and three other fields under exploration,
which are all long-time investments. They can't be easily changed because
of domestic issues." anmd "Politics is politics. economics is economics."-
Email
Helicopters New Zealand - Nelson,
NZ - Hired by Daewoo to work on the Shwe gas field. - Email
Danford Equities Corporation - Australia - Oil Company.
Essar Group - Mumbai, India
- Onshore and offshore explorations for oil and gas.
Focus Energy - British Oil Company registered in Virgin Islands.
Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) -
New Delhi, India - A partner
is the massive Shwe gas field consortium off the coast of Burma.
Geopetrol - Monaco - A private oil and gas exploration, and
production, company.
Golden Aaron Pte. Ltd - Singapore
- Oil corporation, signed three production sharing contracts in 2005 with
state run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, to explore for oil and gas in
Burma, both on and offshore.
Interra Resources - Singapore - Exploration and operation of
oil fields for the production of crude petroleum. In Burma its subsidiary
Goldwater Oil was the first foreign oil company to extract oil in Burma.
Itera Group - Moscow, Russia
- Russian oil and gas company. In September 2006 it signed a
production sharing contract for oil and gas exploration with the regime.
KOGAS - Korea
- Gas corporation, partner is the massive Shwe gas field consortium
off the coast of Burma.
NIPPON OIL - Japan - One of the
joint venture partners developing the Yadana offshore gas field in Burma,
which earns the military regime millions of dollars.
Crown Relocations - Hong Kong based, offices in UK - Office
in Burma that facilitates the transfer of expat staff employed by foreign
investors in Burma.
MORE BLACKLISTED
COMPANIES
On September 24th 2007,
over 10,000 monks, without weapons, stood up against one of
the most vicious, brutal military regimes that has ever existed.
In return, these monks were beaten, arrested, tortured and murdered
Thousands are now missing. Many monasteries are now empty.
"The only real prison is fear, and the only
real freedom is freedom from fear."
- Aung San Suu Kyi.
FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA:
You are not alone - Photos
of protests from around the world.
Return to
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BURMA
Photos, horryfing news reports.
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BURMA NOW!
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