|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
   |
|
|
 |
|
||
Virtual
Diplomacy Homepage >> Virtual
Diplomacy Publications >> Networking
Dissent
Networking Dissent Tiffany Danitz and Warren P. Strobel Selected Electronic Mail Messages PepsiCo Pulls Out of Burma108 From: "Joseph P. La Mar" <mklcsr@igc.apc.org> PepsiCo, Inc. January 24, 1997 Via Mail and Fax: 944-9127 Rev. Father Joseph La Mar Dear Father Joe: Here is the statement PepsiCo is releasing regarding Burma: "Based on our assessment of the spirit of current U.S. government foreign policy, we are completing our total disengagement from the Burmese market. Accordingly, we have severed all relationships with our former franchise bottler, effective January 15, 1997. The bottler in Burma is taking appropriate steps to ensure that all production and distribution of our products are ceased by May 31, 1997." Very truly yours, [signed] 2. Keeping the Bill Alive109 MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE March 8, 1996 * March Burma Roundtable . . . . . Different Day! The next Roundtable will take place on Thursday, March 14. The meeting will start at 7pm at the office of Franklin Research & Development at 711 Atlantic Avenue 4th floor, just across the street from South Station and opposite the Greyhound Bus terminal. Our speaker will be Professor Susan Darlington of Hampshire College. Professor Darlington recently returned from spending six months on the Thailand-Burma border. She will speak about her experiences and the current situation on the border. * It's Make or Break for the Massachusetts Burma Bill ! ! ! The Massachusetts Burma selective purchasing bill (H2833) could come up for its Second Reading vote of the full Massachusetts Senate as early as the week of March 11. (The bill was reported out of the Steering and Policy Committee last week.) This will be a major test of support for H2833. If we win the vote convincingly, the bill will move forward quickly. If we lose the vote, H2833 is dead. It is vital that every Massachusetts Burma Roundtable participant contact their state Senator immediately to register their support for H2833 before it comes to a vote! Call Your State Senator Again... * Call and ask your state Senator to vote in favor of H2833 when it comes up for its Second Reading in the Senate. (If don't know who your state Senator is, contact CPPAX at (617) 426-3040 or the State House switchboard at (617) 727-2121.) * If you have a few more minutes, follow the action plan in the enclosed March 8 Action Alert. Ask your friends and family to do the same. Simon Billenness, Franklin Research & Development, 3. Response to Threats to Selective Purchasing Law110 (Infinet-S-3.3) id OAA30312; Tue, 11 Feb 1997 14:22:48 -0500 (EST) MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE: ACTION ALERT 2/11/97 "[US Rep. Barney] Frank suggested if the state's law barring Massachusetts from trading with firms that do business in Burma were found to be a WTO violation, any sanction against Massachusetts should "be paid for by reducing the amount of money spent on the defense of both Japan and Europe."" - Reuters 2/10/97 KEEP WRITING GOVERNOR WELD! The political backlash against the European Commission and the Japanese government grows. US Rep. Barney Frank plans to issue a letter today to the President of the European Commission (EC), signed by the Massachusetts delegation to the US House of Representatives. The letter will protest the pressure that the EC has placed on Massachusetts with regard the Massachusetts Burma selective purchasing law. (See yesterday's Reuter's story at the end of this action alert.) Governor William Weld has still not indicated yet how he will respond to the pressure from the Japanese Government and the European Commission. We need to keep the flow of letters of support to Governor Weld. The more letters he receives, the more he will defend the Massachusetts Burma law. It's that simple. Burma selective purchasing legislation has been introduced in the Connecticut legislature by Rep. Jesse Stratton. Similar legislation may well be introduced in a few other states over the next few weeks. It is vital that we dispell the pressure from the European Commission and Japanese government to ensure the passage of more state laws! SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR LETTER * Open your letter by thanking the Governor for signing the law last June. Specifically request that Governor Weld defend the Massachusetts Burma law in the face of pressure from the Japanese government and the European Commission. * Describe your interest in Burma. Mention either: * The political situation in Burma remains very grave. The military junta has imprisoned over 100 members of the National League for Democracy and prevented Aung San Suu Kyi from meeting with democracy movement supporters. * Mention that Massachusetts is not alone. Over ten other US cities and counties have enacted similar laws. Activists in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia are already working to introduce similar laws. * Mention that if Massachusetts had not stood up to similar pressure after enacting its South Africa law, Nelson Mandela might still be in prison today. * Remind him that Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the Burmese democracy movement has specifically called for economic sanctions and expressed her support for the Massachusetts Burma law. Send your letter to: Governor William Weld Please send a copy of your letter to: Rep. Byron Rushing If you have already written, ask a friend, co-worker or family member to write. Thank you once again for your help. Without your assistance, this law would never have been enacted. With your assistance again, we can successfully defend the Massachusetts law and make any challenge to it at the World Trade Organization politically impossible. Simon Billenness 4. Using the Internet to Discourage Investment in PepsiCo111 (Infinet-S-3.3) id BAA09735; Mon, 6 Jan 1997 01:28:57 -0500 (EST) Hi- If you remember, we met when you came out to Stanford during November. I had a small victory which Nick thought I ought to share with you. My mother belongs to a women's reading circle, and about two years ago they read that NYT best seller about the "Beardstown Ladies' Investment Club", and my mother's book circle became an investment club. When I got back from break I heard that the club was considering investing in PepsiCo. I went to one of their meetings and gave a little presentation on the history of Burma, what's going on there, and Pepsi's ongoing role. (The night before the presentation I downloaded about twelve pages of info from the Free Burma web site and from links I found there, and then did a little cramming.) Now, there are only twelve women in the club, but I was a little nervous because they are all in their mid fifties or early sixties, they are all successful business women from a generation when success was not the norm for women in business, and most of them (according to my mother's assesment) are very conservative. My mother said that I'd probably be most successful if I just told them that Pepsi was a bad investment, and skipped the Human Rights bit; a peice of advice I completely ignored. In any case, upon hearing what I had to say about the situation in Burma, not only did the group decide not to invest in Pepsi, last I heard they were writing a letter to PepsiCo explaining their decision not to invest, they were writing a letter to their journal, (The Woman Investor, or somesuch; a magazine dedicated to helping the small investor) complaining about a favorable write-up of Pepsi which appeared in there, mentioning nothing about Burma or the PepsiCo boycott. As a postscript, I bought my mother "The Socially Responsible Guide to Smart Investing" for Chanukka. Anyway, I thought I'd pass that along. -Rudy 5. SLORC Begins to Use the 'Net with More Sophistication112 (Infinet-S-8.8.5) id DAA20974; Fri, 28 Feb 1997 03:35:49 -0500 (EST) Why the children? By- Dr. Myron Segal, M.D.C.M. F.A.C.S., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.C.P. Letter to the editor I am a heart surgeon and former professor trained to save lives all over the world through medicine and education. Someone who took care of Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam war, took care of wounded children in the Israeli 1967 war and served my country during the second world war. As a true American patriot I cannot help but feel that a gross injustice recently took place on my visit to Yangon, Myanmar. The Japanese government had offered this emerging country Polio vaccine for vaccination of children and to build 500 schools for the children of this country. I learned that the opposition party had actually complained to Japan not to supply the vaccine and the schools because it could make the present government image to the world more understanding and also to create hardship for the people so that the people would feel neglected by the government. In this way it would be much easier for the opposition to agitate the people to rise against the government. Politics should not interfere with humanity. These schools were then granted to Vietnam which is a booming economy and can afford the schools. Myanmar was denied the schools but fortunately the vaccine made their way to Myanmar. We fought side by side with this country. The heritage of any country is its children, their education and their health. Politics should never be a part of this equation. It is total political discrimination in my opinion. As a doctor I would like someone to explain to me why punish the children and their human rights? Every child in any part of world is the same regardless of color, religious or race. Using politics does not punish the politician but only the innocent victim. Why was this tolerated by the rest of the world? If someone can give me an answer I would welcome it. This is no answer to this injustice to these children. I am writing this letter on behalf of all the children of Myanmar and the world as a proud American Citizen with a conscience. This kind of episode goes against everything the world believes in and it should never happen again. It is up to all the parents of the world to protest and make sure that all children have equal opportunity. Home | Jobs | FAQs | Contact Us | Directions | Privacy Policy | Site Map United States Institute of Peace -- 1200 17th Street NW -- Washington, DC 20036
|