Unocal in Burma

Unocal in Burma

Since 1990, Union Oil Company of California (Unocal), which was founded in 1890, had operations in all aspects of the oil business. Considering that it had expertise in all aspects, Unocal markets itself to governments outside the United States for they like about Unocal’s one – stop shopping that was from development to the marketing end.
In December 1992, Unocal paid US$ 8.6 million to Total S.A to became 28,26% of the Yadana Field project, while the other investors are Total S.A (31,24%), Thailand’s PTT Exploration & Production Public. Co (25,5%) and the Burmese government (15%). The Yadana field project was a gas mining project on the Yadana field that is located in the Andaman Sea beneath 150 feet of water off Burma’s shore and belongs to Burma.
It was agreed that Total would be responsible for overall coordination of the project, such as developed the wells and extract gas, and Unocal would construct the 256 – mile pipeline to carry the gas from Yadana to Thailand. While the Burmese government provided security to ensure that land was cleared and rights of way secured for the passage of the pipeline through Burma, including built roads and other facilities such as base camps, buildings, barracks, river docs, helipads, etc. Most of the pipe would lie under the ocean, but the final 40 miles would cross over southern Burma through the region inhabited by the Karen, the minority ethnic group most hostile to the Burmese government.
At the time of preparation and installation of the pipeline from The   Yadana field to Thailand, there are numerous reports  from  human  rights  groups  who  claimed   that there had been human rights violations against the Karen people. To clear the way and build facilities for the pipeline construction, the Burmese government that was notorious for violating human rights in Burma, forced hundreds of Karen doing so and provided slave labor for the project. Even, 15 members of the Burmese Karen minority group... [continues]

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