Take Action Now -Burma : No Clean hands for Foreign Business

IUSY is asking all member organisations is supporting the lobby to ask multinationals in Burma to 'Leave Now'. IUSY is encouraging member organisations to write to all multinational companies known or suspected of having business links to Burma to pull out of the country and “stop propping up the brutal regime”, and is calling on governments to extend economic sanctions to cover all economic sectors. While numerous foreign companies have ceased doing business with Burma, under pressure from the international trade union movement and human rights and democracy groups, many multinational companies still have relations with the military dictatorship.

Burma’s economy is built on absolute repression of its workforce, with the use of forced labour still rife in the country despite international pressure on the regime to respect fundamental rights. The case for full and effective sanctions is now absolutely compelling, and any company which does not withdraw voluntarily must be made to do so by governments and international and regional organisations including the United Nations and the European Union. The international trade union movement have for many years called on the EU to include Burmese state monopolies covering gas, oil, mining, tropical woods and precious stones in the list of companies with which EU-based multinationals are forbidden to do business.

Top of the list are several key multinationals with well-documented business links to Burma, including Caterpillar (USA), China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Daewoo International Corporation (Korea), Siemens (Germany), Gas Authority of India (GAIL), GlaxoSmithKline (UK ), Hyundai (Korea), ONGC Videsh Ltd (India), Swift (Belgium), and Total (France).

Military aid will be a special focus of this campaign action, which will also look closely at the junta’s growing economic links with India, China and several other countries. India’s trade for example has grown from some US$ 341 million in 2004-5 to $650 million the following year, with a target of US$ 1billion set for 2006-7.

UN envoy Condemns Burma Arrests

UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari has described as "extremely disturbing" new arrests in Burma, calling on the ruling junta to stop detaining democracy activists.
Several prominent Burmese student leaders were arrested over the weekend. He was speaking in Thailand as EU foreign ministers were preparing to meet in Luxembourg to discuss tougher sanctions against the junta.

At their monthly meeting, the EU foreign ministers are expected to ban imports of gemstones, timber and metals from Burma, as well as voicing their support for Mr Gambari's mission. Burma's generals already face an EU travel ban and a freeze on assets.

BBC European affairs correspondent Oana Lungescu says the generals can now expect fresh embargoes on some of their more lucrative exports - including jade, rubies and teak. However, European sanctions have had practically no impact on Burma, as more than 90% of the country's trade is with its Asian neighbours, she says. The new measures will not prevent the French energy giant Total from doing business with the junta, though diplomats say that may come later.