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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
[The resolution is at agenda 49, below. Click the link below
to view the original Board resolution]
The Mayor signed the resolution on Oct 29.
49.
071444 [Urging neighboring nations and major investors to defend
peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in Burma] Supervisors Ammiano, Mirkarimi,
Daly
Resolution Urging the Governments of China, India, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and
of the United States, as well as the Chevron and Daewoo Corporations to Take
Action in Defense of Peaceful Pro-Democracy Demonstrators in Burma.
Amended on page 3, line 16, after "to" by inserting "San Francisco's
Congressional delegation with requests to forward the resolution to the
governments"
Supervisors Mirkarimi and Daly requested to be added as co-sponsors.
Supervisor Elsbernd, seconded by Supervisor Ammiano, moved that this Resolution
be AMENDED. The motion carried by the following vote:
Ayes: 10 - Alioto-Pier, Ammiano, Daly, Dufty, Elsbernd, Chu, Maxwell, Mirkarimi,
Peskin, Sandoval
Excused: 1 - McGoldrick
ADOPTED AS AMENDED by the following vote:
Ayes: 10 - Alioto-Pier, Ammiano, Daly, Dufty, Elsbernd, Chu, Maxwell, Mirkarimi,
Peskin, Sandoval
Excused: 1 - McGoldrick
Supervisor Elsbernd requested that this matter be severed so that it might be
considered separately.
You can watch the board meeting on SFGTV online
Here's the link to the appropriate page where you can click on Oct 23.
http://sanfrancisco.granicus
If you go to 1 hour 22 minutes you will see that
Sean Elsbernd wanted to make one
small change which was essentially, (p3 line 16) rather than the SF Board of
Supervisors forwarding the resolution to the embassies, he wanted the resolution
to be forwarded to the SF congressional delegation, who will then forward it.
Seems like it would add weight to the resolution. This was proposed, agreed,
and the change was made and the amended resolution was then approved.
From:
FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution shall be sent to the governments of Burma, China, India, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and the United States, by way of their Missions to the United Nations as well as to the Board of Directors of the Chevron and Daewoo corporations.
To:
FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution shall be sent to [San Francisco's Congressional delegation with requests to forward the resolution to] the governments of Burma, China, India, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and the United States, by way of their Missions to the United Nations as well as to the Board of Directors of the Chevron and Daewoo corporations.
The representatives whose offices are in San
Francisco are Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Babar Boxer, and the House
Speaker Congresswoman Nancy Peolosi.
Below is the message from BADA Board member who was present at the Meeting:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Resolution Urging Neighboring Nations and Major
Investors to Defend Peaceful Pro-Democracy Demonstrators in Burma]
Resolution Urging the Governments of China, India, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and
of the United States, as well as the Chevron and Daewoo Corporations to Take
Action in Defense of Peaceful Pro-Democracy Demonstrators in Burma.
WHEREAS, San Francisco is the birthplace of the United Nations; and
WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of all to speak out against oppression; and,
WHEREAS, On August 5, 2007 the Burmese government without warning raised fuel
prices by as much as 500 percent, thereby making it difficult for many Burmese
people to afford sufficient food; and,
WHEREAS, street protests against the military dictatorship of Burma and for
democracy began on Aug. 19, 2007, and when thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns
took to the streets beginning Sept. 18 and numbers swelled to many tens of
thousands; now, therefore, be it
WHEREAS, Starting on Sept. 26, the government of Burma has launched violent
repression of the demonstrations, arresting hundreds, killing an unknown number
of people estimated by diplomats to be in the dozens or more, cremating the
victims' bodies and, allegedly, persons still living, raiding Buddhist
monasteries, beating and arresting more than 4,000 monks, imprisoning monks in
their monasteries, and placing an estimated 20,000 soldiers in the streets of
Rangoon; and
WHEREAS, Burma's closest trading partners, China, India and Thailand have been
slow to respond, China first calling the developments an "internal matter," and
only after the initial crackdown urging "all parties" to exercise restraint.
Thailand has refused to take action, claiming it "lacks moral authority", and
India continues business as usual; and
WHEREAS, Daewoo Corporation of Korea made a giant gas discovery in Myanmar in
early 2004 and has recently entered into a production sharing contract with the
Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the military
government. The project is expected to become the regime's largest single source
of revenue, providing, on average, US$580 million per year for the regime for
twenty years, or a total of US$ 12 billion; and
WHEREAS, the Chevron corporation is one of the largest foreign investors in
Burma and is the only remaining major U.S. corporation with a significant
presence there, and the Chevron subsidiary Unocal has partnered with the Burmese
military to provide security for its pipeline and such partnership has resulted
in allegations of horrific human rights abuses including torture, rape, unlawful
land seizures to remove villagers from areas slated for development, and the
military's use of forced labor to facilitate the pipeline construction.
According to ILO estimates, more than 800,000 Burmese are currently conscripted
in slave-like conditions with little or no pay as army porters or workers in
construction and agriculture. Such allegations resulted in a lawsuit charging
that the companies knew about and benefited from the Burmese army's human rights
abuses. The lawsuits were settled after the companies agreed to make large
payments, but Chevron & Unocal continue to operate in Burma; and
WHEREAS, Burma has been ruled by a repressive military dictatorship since a coup
d'état ended democratic governance in 1962. After holding free elections in
1990, the government annulled those elections when it lost decisively; and the
government continues to hold more than 1,000 political prisoners, including Aung
San Suu Kyi, the leader of the party that won the 1990 election; now, therefore
be it
RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urges the government of
Burma to immediately cease the use of violence in suppression of nonviolent
protests by its citizens, cease the detention of political prisoners and release
those currently held, cease the harassment of those suspected of supporting the
protests, and enter into sincere negotiations with leaders of the movement for
democracy and human rights in Burma; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urges the Chevron
corporation and its subsidiary, Unocal, to withdraw immediately from all
dealings with the military government of Burma on the basis that not to do so is
to be complicit in perpetuating a brutal and amoral regime and the torture and
murder of its citizens; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urges the citizens
of the City and County of San Francisco to speak up for the safety, human
rights, and freedom of the people of Burma by participating in letter-writing,
vigils, demonstrations, and other actions organized by such forces as the
Burmese American Democratic Alliance SF, Amnesty International, Avaaz.org, the
US Campaign for Burma, the Berkeley-based Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and the
international organized-labor movement; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution shall be sent to [San
Francisco's Congressional delegation with requests to forward the resolution to]
the
governments of Burma, China, India, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and the United
States, by way of their Missions to the United Nations as well as to the Board
of Directors of the Chevron and Daewoo corporations.