Unocal getting sued by Burmese . Rape, Murder its just a shot away

[eek]

Burmese sue US oil company
Multinationals on alert as judges are asked to rule that a Californian firm benefited from the junta's 'rape, murder and forced labour'

Twelve Burmese taking legal action in California claim that their country's military government used forced labour and its soldiers employed murder and rape to clear the way for a foreign-funded gas pipeline.

A Los Angeles superior court judge is expected to decide this week whether the case, which may have profound implications for international corporations, can proceed under Californian law. If, as expected, she says yes, the trial is likely to begin in September.

The 12 are suing the Los Angeles company Unocal for damages on the grounds that it benefited from the Burmese activity even if it did not endorse it.

The story began in the 90s when the regime used indentured labour to clear a path for the Yadana Project - a pipeline for Unocal and Total - which is the biggest foreign operation under way in Burma.

The case alleges that the army used brutal tactics to coerce the plaintiffs, who had not been consulted about the pipeline and had previously made their living from rice, fish, and cashew and betel nuts.
(more)
(snip)

Unocal denies doing anything wrong or having any knowledge of atrocities. It has sought to have the cases thrown out at various stages since the action began in 1996.

(snip)
The attorney general, John Ashcroft, had been lobbied by trade groups anxious to avoid the possibility of being sued as a result of their foreign operations. The department argues that the case could adversely affect the US "war on terrorism" by alienating its allies.
(snip)

Unocal, which is contesting the claim on both legal and factual grounds, is estimated to have spent $25m in legal costs, though it says the figure was "made up" by its opponents.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,13373,1007257,00.html

[DoctorMyEyes]

1. yes!

This story is HUGE! Unocal is the co that is laying a pipeline thru afghanistan now,too.

Bush has tried to have this lawsuit squashed, and you should see some of the language the Unocal attorneys have used - like "slavery hasn't been condemned worldwide" (not exact quote - but REAL close.

I wrote to Dean about it a while back. This story makes the whole liberating Iraqi people bullshit even harder for * to sell.

[aquart]

2. Consequences, dontcha love 'em?

Yes, indeedy.

[asjr]

3. burmese

Is there nothing that Asscroft doesn't think will hinder the war on terroism?

[RainDog]

5. from May- Joe Conason's journal

I don't have the link for some reason, but here's part of the text...

"
Joe Conason's Journal
John Ashcroft takes Unocal's side in a battle with Burmese torture victims.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

May 30, 2003  

If you've ever wondered what John Ashcroft would do when faced with a choice between defending an energy company and discouraging slavery and murder in the developing world, the unappetizing answer may be found here...

...The case in question is known as John Doe I vs. Unocal Corp. The plaintiffs are "Burmese villagers who claim that they were subjected to forced labor, murder, rape, and torture during the construction of a gas pipeline through their country. Soldiers allegedly committed these abuses while providing security and other services for pipeline project. " And those alleged abuses were horrific:

"Jane Doe I, one of the plaintiffs in the case, testified that when her husband tried to escape the forced labor program, he was shot at by soldiers, and that, in retaliation for his attempted escape, she and her baby were thrown into a fire. Her child died and she was badly injured.

"Other villagers described the summary execution of people who refused to work, or who became too weak to work effectively."

Citing reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Mariner believes there is no question that the atrocities attributed to the Burmese military occurred. Unocal and its French partner Total vociferously deny any culpability, of course. "

[cap]

4. Cheney is involved in this in some way...

I can't remember.... I think Brown & Root was in on the Burma deal.

[RainDog]

6. Yes... I can't find the links, though!

but back in May, when I saved the post above, I saw another link that mentioned that Halliburton was involved in the Burma issue, too, while Cheney was CEO.

it's somewhere in the old DU archives, if you have a fast connection to search for it.

A key is Alien Tort Reform Act. Ashcroft has been trying to deny people the right to sue American corporations for forced labor.

[belab13]

7. time to revoke charters, time to remove the corporation from the political

arena, time to slap the capitalistic cancer (the corporate lobby) into oblivion.

[belab13]

8. The only solution to the predicament every human on the planet faces

is for the courts to hold all corporate entities accountable in a fair and proportional manner, just like they would for an individual accused.

The Bhopal India, Union Carbide tragedy comes to mind. How many life sentences are we talking about here people. That in my mind was a definite case of permanent revocation of the corporate charter, auction the assets, and flush all parties that had a monetary interest in such a negligent company.