Chevron’s Links to Burma Stir Critics to Demand It Pull Out

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Chevron’s Links to Burma Stir Critics to Demand It Pull Out
by David R. Baker

Chevron Corp. of San Ramon is drawing harsh criticism for its business ties to Burma, the Asian nation conducting a brutal military crackdown.1004 02

The company owns part of a natural gas project in Burma, where soldiers crushed pro-democracy protests last week and killed at least 10 people.

U.S. sanctions prevent most U.S. companies from working in Burma, but Chevron’s investment there existed before the sanctions were imposed and continues under a grandfather clause. As a result, the company is one of the few large Western companies left in the country.

Now Chevron faces pressure to pull out.

Human rights activists are calling on the company to either leave Burma or persuade the country’s military rulers to stop killing demonstrators. Bloggers are encouraging people to flood Chevron’s phone and fax lines in protest. Some are calling for a boycott.

“There’s no question that the money from the pipeline project helps prop up the military government,” said Marco Simons, U.S. legal director for EarthRights International. “If Chevron can stop people from getting killed by using its influence, we’d certainly like to see that. In the long run, we don’t think anyone should be doing business with this government.”

But Chevron doesn’t intend to leave.

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http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/04/4303/