Editorial: DeTOTALization of Burma

            Totalitarian regime of Burma and the TOTAL Oil Company are very good business partners these days. But will not be able to go on like this for long. ‘A time to Change’ is looming just round the corner!

With the help of their new found wealth coming from off-shore gas fields, Burmese Generals are preparing to consolidate their hold onto power. Using natural gas supply as an incentive, Burma's Fascist Generals has got democratic Government of India into their pockets. And China is whole-heartedly dedicated for the perpetuation of military rule in Burma_ for China's energy-hungry booming industries Burmese Generals are a very reliable natural gas suppliers. As long as Burma is under military rule, Western companies will not do business in Burma and China will be able to monopolize Burma's gas fields. And there's Thailand and Deawoo of South Korea queuing up to get a share of Burma's natural gas resources.

This ugly scenario makes TOTAL's involvement in Burma become very controversial.

Majority of Burmese pro-democracy activists want TOTAL to leave Burma, not because we do not want TOTAL to get a share of energy supply from Burma's gas-fields, but because we all believe that TOTAL's presence in Burma make some European Governments reluctant to tighten economic sanctions on Burma.

With the chance of a regime change in Burma carried out by an international coalition force being very remote, the sanctions are the most effective means to put pressure on Burma's military regime. But because of TOTAL the EU allow a loophole in their economic sanctions on Burma_ economic sanctions excluding oil and gas sector! How impractical it is!

There are some arguments that when TOTAL leave Burma, companies from China, India and ASEAN  will take over TOTAL's place in Burma's gas fields; and those companies will be worse than TOTAL in many aspects. As a European company TOTAL needs to be accountable for environmental conservation, labour rights, etc. But with companies from communist China such things as labour rights are just taboos.

So there's a question_ should TOTAL leave Burma.

We'll say YES_ a long-term YESSSSS.

In the short-term, TOTAL leaving Burma and it's shares in Burma's gas fields immediately taken over by Chinese companies is not a good prospect. But in the long run, with TOTAL out of Burma, EU will be able to get a consensus to tighten economic sanctions on Burma to an effective level without loop-holes. The uniformly strong sanctions of US and EU will prompt ASEAN to change their policies to become more human-rights friendly. That will in turn make China's role as the sole supporter of Burma's military regime become very apparent as a sore thumb. And eventually China will cave in under immense international pressure, and that will open up a way forward for sincere democratic changes in Burma.

So it is not exaggerated to say that getting TOTAL out of Burma can start a process, with domino effect, which will eventually lead to the end of sufferings of the long oppressed people of Burma.