Burma exchange.

• Author: Garcia, David
• Position: Unocal responds to Oct. '95 article on U.S. corporate labor exploitation in Myanmar by Brad Miller

I'm taking this opportunity to respond to The Progressive's October 1995 story, "Burma in Chains: U.S. Companies Profit From Slavery," by Brad Miller.

Miller's work is a gross misrepresentation of the Yadana natural-gas project in Myanmar. Its simplistic premise is an affront to U.S. corporations, like Unocal, whose foreign operations are being conducted in an ethical and responsible manner.

We are taking this opportunity to present the facts about the Yadana project. In doing so, I will address Miller's most serious errors:

1) that Unocal's monitoring efforts are superficial and that it condones human-rights violations;

2) that forced labor is being used to build the pipeline;

3) that the pipeline has resulted in forced relocations, land seizures, and environmental degradation;

4) that a comment by Unocal's president justifies a March terrorist ambush of an unarmed pipeline survey crew; and

5) that the Ye-Tavoy railroad is connected with the Yadana project.

Unocal will tolerate no human-rights violations on any of its projects anywhere in the world.

Along with our co-venturer and project operator, Total, the French energy company, we continue to monitor very closely the human-rights situation in Myanmar as it relates to the Yadana project.

In May, an experienced Unocal environmental project analyst conducted a firsthand review of the pipeline route--including the villages in its immediate vicinity--and found no evidence of human-rights violations in connection with the natural-gas project. We found no forced labor, no village relocations, and no land seizures relating to the pipeline.

As a matter of company policy, we will not do business in any country where we cannot operate in an ethical and responsible manner.

All labor associated with the Yadana project is paid labor.

Miller's allegation that the co-venturers would use anything but paid labor is groundless. In fact, wages paid to skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled contract workers are superior to prevailing average wage scales.

Additionally, all workers are provided food, potable water, lodging/hygiene facilities, transportation, ongoing preventive medical/health care, e.g., malarial medication and mosquito netting, and safety clothing and equipment.

The pipeline route was chosen specifically to minimize its impact on the environment and villages located in the vicinity of the pipeline route.

In addressing the issue about the environmental impact of the project, let me point out...