Upstream 29 April 2008
Human rights watchdog EarthRights International today accused US supermajor Chevron of complicity in human rights abuses along a natural gas pipeline in Burma in which it holds a stake and said the company could be sued.
EarthRights claimed in a report issued today that Burma's army has in recent years committed serious abuses including rape and murder while providing security for the pipeline that moves gas from the Yadana gas field, located offshore in the Andaman Sea.
The group also said the army has forced Burmese citizens to build sentry posts, perform security duties along the pipeline and maintain roads, Reuters reported.
Burma has been under military control since a 1962 coup d'etat.
The army held elections in 1990, but did not hand over power when it was defeated by opposition party the National League for Democracy.
Last year, protests led by Burma’s Buddhist monks brought massive crowds to its largest city, Yangon, but demonstrations were halted after security forces raided monasteries and imposed curfews.
EarthRights International said its report was the result of more than 70 interviews as well as informal contacts.
Chevron said it strongly disagreed with the report. "The allegations of human rights abuses associated with the project are baseless," spokesman Kurt Glaubitz said in a statement.
Yadana "helps meet the energy needs of people in the region, supports critical health, education and infrastructure programmes, and serves as a positive influence in the country," he said, adding that third-party audits have touted the benefits of community engagement programs along the pipeline.
Washington banned new investments in Burma by US companies in 1997, but Chevron took over a 28% stake in the Yadana project when it purchased Unocal in 2005.
French oil company Total owns 31% and operates the project, which produced 761 million cubic feet per day in 2007. Thai energy company PTT and Burma's state owned Myanma Oil & Gas Enterprise are also partners in Yadana.
The field's pipeline runs from the project to the Thai border, including a 39-mile (63-kilometer) stretch in Burma.
EarthRights said in the report that the field has been a vital economic lifeline for the Yangon military government, and estimated that it would generate nearly $1 billion in revenue for the country this year.
Accusations of human rights violations along the pipeline are not new. In 2005, shortly before Chevron announced plans to buy it, Unocal settled a lawsuit brought by Burmese villagers who claimed they had been abused.
Chevron is already facing high-profile lawsuits over alleged human rights violations in Nigeria and claims of environmental damage in Ecuador.
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