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International Campaigns: Burma Environmental destruction and forced labor Burma's military regime has overseen a brutal counter-insurgency movement that encourages the illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of ethnic minorities and political dissidents. Forced labor and relocation are other tactics used by the government to force unwilling civilians into submission. The construction of the Yadana pipeline through Burma – financed by U.S.-based oil company Unocal and French oil company Total/Elfina – has raised concerns about the human rights and environmental impacts of the project. The pipeline runs through the Tenasserim region, which is home to a fragile ecosystem as well as the ethnic Karen people. Due to pressure from the International Labor Organization, Burma has banned forced labor, but independent monitors have faced many obstacles in their efforts to observe the progress of the Burmese government in enforcing the ban and upholding human rights. A lawsuit filed in the U.S. alleges that Unocal was aware of the human rights violations and the practice of forced labor prior to the pipeline's construction. We urge Unocal to pressure the Burmese government to uphold its ban on forced labor and allow independent and impartial monitoring of the social and environmental impacts of the Yadana pipeline. More Background Take Action Further Information Letter from AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to President Clinton (December 14, 2000) Federal Court Says UNOCAL Benefited from Forced Labor and Violence (press release from EarthRights International, September 11, 2000) Environmental Impacts of the Yadana Gas Pipeline Project List of cities, counties and states that have adopted Burma purchasing guidelines Ka Hsaw Wa Vermont Burma Law Victory 1998 U.S. Department of State Burma Country Report on Human Rights Practices Burma in the News Myanmar's Incorrigible Leaders," New York Times Editorial, May 11, 2001 National Public Radio on a landmark lawsuit against US oil firm Unocal stemming from its operations in Burma, March 10, 2000. (scroll halfway down the page) Special Report: Burma (BBC Online Network, 09/18/98) Texaco Sale of Burma Gas Project Big Victory! (09/25/97) Links Free Burma Free Burma: Boycott Free Burma Songs (ImageWare) The Burma Project Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club