Venezuela gives Exxon ultimatum

[donsu]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4544390.stm


Venezuela has given the world's biggest oil company, ExxonMobil, until the end of this year to enter a joint venture with the state.

Failure to do so will almost certainly result in Exxon losing its oil field concessions in the country.

Venezuela's socialist government has now signed new agreements with almost all foreign petroleum companies.

-snip-

In addition, the companies which have signed the new contracts - such as Chevron, BP, Shell and Total - will in future be presented with much higher tax bills by the government.
-snip-
---------------------------------


Exxon has murdered people in other countries in order to get their way with thing. wonder if they will try this in Venezuela?

[GrumpyGreg]

1. Who did Exxon murder?

[400Years]

7. Aceh

They have paid units of the Indonesian army to basically wage war on
villagers who happen to be in the way of their extraction efforts there.

Very brutal and very ugly.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. Didn't they do something similar in Nigeria? n/t

[400Years]

18. If I remember correctly that was Royal Dutch Shell but I will

go back and check up on that. I just can't keep track of it all anymore.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

19. Actually, I think you're right.

I get my multinational conglomerates mixed up.

[northzax]

24. yes, it was Shell

who caused Ken Saro Wiwa to be executed in Nigeria. Among others.

[LostInAnomie]

2. *BREAKING NEWS*- WAR DECLARED AGAINST VENEZUELA

Citing ties to Al Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction the Senate and Congress passed a hastily thrown together war resolution before leaving for holiday break.

[sojourner]

3. i don't know about murder in the past but i sure would be on the lookout

[tx_dem41]

4. Care to document that? n/t

[rman]

8. BBC News not good enough?

[tx_dem41]

9. The last two sentences in the OP did NOT come from BBC. n/t

[rman]

13. The short, general version goes something like this:

Corporations can make more profit, the lower their expenses on things that reduce the negative impact of the corporation's activities on people's lives.
This becomes more significant the larger the corporation is.

This is not evidence of wrongdoing on part of Exxon (i'll leave that to others), but it does show that the situation is such that it's plausible that certain activities of corporations do have a negative impact on people's lives.

[tx_dem41]

14. I wouldn't argue with that in a general sense.

The charge in the OP was quite specific though. Someone has provided me with some testimony. I am going to read it later.

Thanks for responding, rman. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

[rman]

15. Happy Days to you to. nt

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

17. Why do you hate the baby Jesus?

:evilgrin:

[400Years]

11. Testimony from Zahara Hamzah to Exxon Shareholders

This was testimoney directly to Exxon Shareholders at a meeting in Texas back in May, 2002.
http://www.pirm.org.nz/Features/cry_for_acheh.htm

My name is Cut Zahara Hamzah. I was born and brought up by my parents amid the noises of the machinery of the LNG plant and the thick black smoke of the factories. I grew up in a very polluted environment, polluted air, polluted water, in the so-called petrol or Gas-city of Lhokseumawe, North Acheh . My house was separated by a high wall of barbed wire from the luxurious housing complex of the staff members of Exxon Mobil, the complex that is named “Bukit Indah,” or “Beautiful Hill” in Indonesian.

About a mile behind my house was located the infamous Rancung building belonging to PT Arun, the Indonesian state company, partner of Exxon Mobil. Between 1989-1998, in what is commonly known as the DOM period, when Acheh was placed under the Military Operation Area, the Rancung building was used as a center of torture, rape and execution by the Indonesian military. About 9 miles away from my house is the Exxon Mobil Industrial Complex (Arun Field), where 5 Gas Exploitation Clusters belonging to Exxon Mobil are located. Each of these clusters contains 22 gas wells; and it is around this area that my maternal grandmother and most family members on my mother’s side reside.

I am here to share with you the feelings of local residents who have to live in the middle of your giant plant that has been operating for decades on the land that used to belong to our families from time immemorial. I am going to tell you what really your company, Exxon Mobil, has given to us over the years in return for the riches it has brought back to you from exploiting our land. Exxon Mobil started production in Acheh in 1978. During the last decade it earned $US40 billion from Acheh, so every year it steadily made $2 billion dollars. But what has it given us, the local population, in return?

[tatertop]

5. Viva Chavez!

[pberq]

6. David taking on Goliath - nominated

[marano35]

10. Chavez is doing what should....

have been done long ago and he is sticking it to them royally.

[newyawker99]

28. Hi marano35!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[RB TexLa]

12. If ExxonMobil leaves will they be allowed to take their property with them

[northzax]

21. nah, it'll be confiscated and turned over to Citgo

as a financial penalty. whaddya wanna bet?

[RB TexLa]

22. I'd bet the farm n/t

[northzax]

23. is it a nice farm?

I'm sure you could get good odds from the Chavez worshippers on this board.

[LibertyorDeath]

25. Chavez is telling Exxon (America)

To play by Venezuela's rules or get the fuck out.

Sounds familiar wonder where he got that attitude from.

If a Corporation comes to America to extract resources they play by America's rules or they get the fuck out.

You got a problem with that.

Why do you hate the "American way"

[northzax]

26. well, there is a difference

to be frank, between a corporation following national laws (and there are many foreign companies involved in resource extraction in the US, by the way) and when those national laws force a company to cede any competative advantage to a nationally owned company. If the US said, "hey, you want to mine gold in the US? well, you have to enter into a partnership with US Gold, run by Neil Bush, to do so." then you've got a legitimate comparison. This is not "you need a local partner" but "you need THIS local partner, which just so happens to be run by my cousin Bob" The government of Venezuela owns Citgo, passing laws that favour a government owned monopoly isn't actually good for anyone. And it's not "the American Way" it's the "Boss Hogg Way"

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

27. When it comes to governments/corporations. The so called "American way" is

the "Boss Hogg way". Especially when it comes to Latin America and the Caribbean.

[northzax]

20. ahh, using the power of the state monopoly

to enforce business decisions. how very Banana Republic.

oh, you don't think Citgo, operated by the Government's cronies, won't profit from this, either way? sounds like Chavez has made them an offer they can't refuse.