ERI testifies before US Congressional Human Rights Commission on human rights in Myanmar (Burma)

On February 28, ERI's Legal Director, Marco Simons, presented testimony to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress about business and human rights in Myanmar (Burma). The Commission was examining the human rights situation in Myanmar following the transition from military dictatorship to quasi-civilian rule, and also heard from the U.S. State Department and several human rights organizations.

Marco Simons testifies to the Lantos Commission

ERI has long been focused on business and human rights issues in Myanmar, and the testimony focused on several important emerging issues, including problems with land confiscation, human rights issues in extractive industry projects, the U.S. government's new reporting requirements for U.S. investment, and the role of international financial institutions.

Land confiscation is one of the most widespread and pervasive concerns in Myanmar, affecting small farmers throughout the country, as land is taken for plantation agriculture, natural resource extraction projects, and hydropower dams. Although Myanmar's civilian government has passed many new laws in the past two years, the legal framework for land rights has not improved, and the pace of land confiscation - often with inadequate or no compensation - appears to be increasing. In some cases, such as the Letpadaung copper mine at Monywa, land use has led to conflicts between protesting villagers and security forces.

ERI has worked to stop human rights abuses associated with natural resource extraction in Myanmar for over fifteen years, beginning with abuses on the Yadana pipeline project, the subject of the landmark Doe v. Unocal lawsuit. Recent reports indicate that similar abuses to those experienced on the Yadana project - including forced portering of local villagers by soldiers providing project security - are now occurring on the Shwe gas and oil transport pipeline projects, which run the length of Myanmar from Rakhine State to Shan State to China.

One useful tool in monitoring the human rights impacts of investment in Myanmar will be the U.S. reporting requirements for responsible investment, which the U.S. government will soon finalize. ERI has been commenting on these reporting requirements since last year, and expects to use the reports, which will start in July 2013, to ensure that companies are held to international standards.