A 4-page brochure introducing the concept of "earth rights" and the work of EarthRights International in Southeast Asia.
“People around the world are recognizing that it is crucial to address these two issues, human rights and the environment, together rather than separately.”
For this report, EarthRights International (ERI) interviewed many people from Burma living in Thailand to find out their thoughts about domestic violence in an effort to increase understanding of this issue. Almost all victims of domestic violence are women. And almost all the people we spoke to described domestic violence as a problem where men oppress women. These two pieces of information made us think that, if we tried to inform people about how serious domestic violence is as a problem, they might try to take some action to stop it.
The State Peace and Develpment Concil (SPDC) of Burma has refused to respect the results of the 1990 elections. Instead, the military regime continues to wage brutal war against its own people. The high costs of this war have resulted in SPDC's policy of "self-reliance," which forces the army to be as self-sufficient as possible.
With over 400,000 soldiers, the armed forces often resort to forced labor and exhortion to pay and feed their troops. Most corrupt people in the military used forced labor to become wealthy. Forced labor is also a counter-insurgency tool for controlling the rural population and diverse non-Burman ethnic nationalities. Read more »
Consumers that buy goods from Burma support one of the most repressive and violent regimes in the world. The purchasers of Burmese teak also aid in the destruction of Southeast Asia's last frontier forests. (4-page brochure)
In partnership with the Burmese military regime, three Western oil companies have built natural gas pipelines in southern Burma (Myanmar), leading to countless human rights abuses against the local population. Unocal (U.S.), Premier Oil (U.K.), and TotalFinaElf (France/Belgium) have used the brutal Burmese military as a security force for their pipeline projects, ignoring the evidence that the soldiers would commit severe abuses in the course of their security duties.
Update: In September, 2002, Premier Oil pulled out of its operations in Burma.
In the Shan State of Burma, home to indigenous groups and diverse forests, the Burmese military and an energy company from Thailand are developing the Tasang Dam, slated to be the tallest dam in Southeast Asia.
An introduction to the flawed partnership called the Global Compact between the UN and corporations.
The power of law and the power of people
in defense of human rights and the environment.
© Copyright 1995-2011, EarthRights International
ERI staff, February 2010
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