Last week, The Huffington Post published my first post, “The UN Singles Out Big Oil in Burma, With Good Reason.” Even as we launch our own blog here at EarthRights International, we thought it was important to reach out to the millions of readers of HuffPo, as so much of our work relies on raising as much awareness as possible – of the general public, investors, policymakers, and others. This story in particular warranted an article because it marked the first time the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights (UNSR) in Burma named and shamed specific oil companies that are linked to serious human rights violations in the country. What’s more, it had been totally unreported in the local or international media.

In my post, I wrote:

While this is the UNSR’s first mention of the human rights impacts of foreign-led energy projects in Burma, at EarthRights International (ERI), we’ve documented for years how overland gas pipelines and other billion-dollar installations in the country are physically secured by the Tatmadaw – the Burmese Army – resulting in forced labor, killings in cold blood, rape, torture, and other abuses against local residents.  

I went on to amplify some of our urgent recommendations for South Korea’s Daewoo International, its partners from India and South Korea, and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). These companies are currently in the construction phase of a new gas pipeline to China, the Shwe pipeline, which is connected to serious human rights impacts:

Rather than move full speed ahead, Daewoo International, its partners, and CNPC should instead listen to the Shwe Gas Movement and EarthRights International: the companies should postpone the Shwe pipeline and any work on offshore installations until there’s no risk the project will contribute to human rights violations – that would be good business. In the meantime, the companies should promote public participation in development decisions; conduct transparent, inclusive third-party environmental and human rights impact assessments according to international standards; and practice complete revenue transparency, including publishing taxes, fees, royalties, bonuses, and social benefits paid to the Burmese authorities.

The Shwe project has already been the subject of an OECD complaint [2] we and the Shwe Gas Movement [3] filed with the Korean government because of Daewoo's violations of the OECD Guidelines.

Lastly, I included some of our recommendations for Yadana [4] natural gas project companies (Total, Chevron, and PTTEP), who ignored the grave risks of operating projects secured by the Burma Army and are currently partners with the Burmese junta in the fully operational and notorious Yadana pipeline. At a bare minimum, these companies should:

1. Practice complete revenue transparency.
2. Facilitate complaints of forced labor to the International Labour Organization.
3. Acknowledge an accurate sphere-of-responsibility, determined by actual social and political impacts, and take steps to mitigate the local harms caused by Tatmadaw forces securing the project.
4. Commission ongoing human rights and environmental impact assessments according to international standards, including the safe participation of local communities. 

Read the whole post [5]