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12 August, 2005ICEM news release No. 16/2003
F or the third year running, the 20-million member ICEM and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the umbrella federation covering 2.3 million working Canadians, joined forces at the shareholders meeting yesterday of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia. The union federations continue to press the renegade mining firm to end its joint venture in Burma with the ruling military junta there.
And on the day of the meeting, Brussels-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) released an updated list of global companies engaged in various forms of business transactions in Burma, and Vancouver-based Ivanhoe is one of seven Canadian firms on the list of 375. ICFTU, representing 158 million workers in 231 affiliated organizations in 150 countries, broadened its denuniciation of the Burmese regime to bring further international pressure against a regime that on 31 May re-arrested Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the political party that won the last free elections in Burma.
"The list provides proof that, despite the increase of human rights violations in the country, some companies are still taking a 'business as usual' approach with this oppressive regime," said ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder. "Governments should act together to end investment and to end this trade with tyranny. Business should be responsible and act immediately to pull out."
Ivanhoe, publicly traded but majority controlled by Robert Freidland, is involved in a joint venture operation called Monywa Copper Project with Burma's ruthless military junta, a regime notorious the world over for murder, torture, ethnic cleansing and use of slave labor. Ivanhoe is now pushing forward on extending its mining operations to a larger field called Letpadung, as well as a new gold mine at Moditaung. The firm's annual meeting 12 June saw union members combine with Burmese refugees, religious leaders and human rights activists in protest.
"Events in Burma in recent weeks are impossible to ignore," stated CLC President Ken Georgetti. "They cannot be glossed over by the public relations spin of companies like Ivanhoe or additional noises of concern from the Canadian government. To do so requires a moral blind spot too large to live with." Georgetti predicts strong public support if the Canadian government were to react with full and effective economic sanctions against investment in Burma.
Many companies have responded positively to the call for disinvestment in Burma including Premier Oil, Triumph International, ChevronTexaco, Arco, PepsiCo, Eastman Kodak, Motorola and Best Western.
"The recent abduction of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi not far from the Monywa mine and the nationwide crackdown on the pro-democracy movements provides ample evidence that this dictatorship is not serious about reform," said ICEM North American Coordinator Ken Zinn. "It is well past time for Ivanhoe to disinvest from Burma."
Besides Ivanhoe, other Canadian firms on ICFTU's list of businesses in Burma include Air Canada, CHC Helicopter Corp., East Asia Gold Corp., Lee Capital Corp.'s Anber-gems, Oracle and TG World Energy Corp.
And on the day of the meeting, Brussels-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) released an updated list of global companies engaged in various forms of business transactions in Burma, and Vancouver-based Ivanhoe is one of seven Canadian firms on the list of 375. ICFTU, representing 158 million workers in 231 affiliated organizations in 150 countries, broadened its denuniciation of the Burmese regime to bring further international pressure against a regime that on 31 May re-arrested Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the political party that won the last free elections in Burma.
"The list provides proof that, despite the increase of human rights violations in the country, some companies are still taking a 'business as usual' approach with this oppressive regime," said ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder. "Governments should act together to end investment and to end this trade with tyranny. Business should be responsible and act immediately to pull out."
Ivanhoe, publicly traded but majority controlled by Robert Freidland, is involved in a joint venture operation called Monywa Copper Project with Burma's ruthless military junta, a regime notorious the world over for murder, torture, ethnic cleansing and use of slave labor. Ivanhoe is now pushing forward on extending its mining operations to a larger field called Letpadung, as well as a new gold mine at Moditaung. The firm's annual meeting 12 June saw union members combine with Burmese refugees, religious leaders and human rights activists in protest.
"Events in Burma in recent weeks are impossible to ignore," stated CLC President Ken Georgetti. "They cannot be glossed over by the public relations spin of companies like Ivanhoe or additional noises of concern from the Canadian government. To do so requires a moral blind spot too large to live with." Georgetti predicts strong public support if the Canadian government were to react with full and effective economic sanctions against investment in Burma.
Many companies have responded positively to the call for disinvestment in Burma including Premier Oil, Triumph International, ChevronTexaco, Arco, PepsiCo, Eastman Kodak, Motorola and Best Western.
"The recent abduction of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi not far from the Monywa mine and the nationwide crackdown on the pro-democracy movements provides ample evidence that this dictatorship is not serious about reform," said ICEM North American Coordinator Ken Zinn. "It is well past time for Ivanhoe to disinvest from Burma."
Besides Ivanhoe, other Canadian firms on ICFTU's list of businesses in Burma include Air Canada, CHC Helicopter Corp., East Asia Gold Corp., Lee Capital Corp.'s Anber-gems, Oracle and TG World Energy Corp.